Karma's a Beach
by 554Laura
Summary: A multichapter story for the Bonesology Summer challenge: The team rents a beach house for the summer. In this story, Booth and Brennan rent beach house for a month long family vacation. What could possibly go wrong? I don't own Bones...
1. Chapter 1

"Booth? I'm home." Brennan stopped to drop her keys on the entry table before walking into the family room. "How are you feeling today?"

He smiled as he kissed his wife. "Almost a hundred percent. The surgeon says he'll be ready to release me from his care after my next visit."

Frowning as she studied her husband as he moved to his favorite chair, Brennan wasn't as certain. "Did he state whether or not your wound will need any additional attention?"

"He says he wants to see me back in three or four weeks, but that I've made excellent progress. I can shower without taping plastic over it now, but I still can't soak in the tub. He said he was sure after the next visit I could. I was kind of disappointed. I've missed sharing those jets with you." He winked at his wife suggestively. "How was your day?"

"Fine. No new cases came in, so I identified several sets of remains in Limbo this morning, and then I worked on my journal article this afternoon." Brennan picked up Christine's backpack from the kitchen counter. "Where are the children?"

"Hank's napping, and Christine is at Jennifer's house. Jennifer's mom said she'd bring her home around six."

After looking through the mail, Brennan smiled as she embraced her husband.. "That's good." She glanced at the clock on the microwave. "We have approximately an hour until I need to start dinner...and since you're feeling better, maybe we could spend some quality time together."

"Hmm...I like the sound of that." Booth bent down to kiss his wife, only to be interrupted by his phone. "Dammit! I hate this thing. Booth...Hey, Smitty. What's up? Really...I see. Wow...no kiddin'...yeah, I get it. Yeah, maybe...of course, I'll need to talk to my wife...yeah, I think so...I'll call ya back...hey, thanks for lettin' me know…" He hung up the phone and tossed it on the counter before taking his wife back into his arms. "Now...where were we?"

"Booth...who is Smitty?"

"Smitty who?" Booth nuzzled Brennan's neck, caressing her gently. "Oh, that...that was nothing…"

"No, that wasn't nothing...you said you'd need to talk to your wife, so talk…" Brennan glared at him as she crossed her arms over her chest. "What's going on?"

Realizing he wouldn't be able to reclaim the mood or avoid the conversation, Booth sighed as he sat down on one of the barstools. "Smitty works in the National Security Division over at the Hoover. I've known him for years, but our paths don't cross very often. Anyway, I saw him at one of the Special Agent luncheons a couple of months ago, before all that shit with Jared went down, and he was telling me about this beach house time share he has in Ocean Pines, Maryland. It sounded like a really good deal…and I told him I might be interested in learning more about it..."

"Booth, please tell me you didn't buy into a timeshare…" Brennan was clearly not pleased with what seemed to be a ludicrous plan. "Those things can be so expensive, and they offer very little return on the investment."

"No, just listen, okay? It's kind of a long story. Smitty has a timeshare on this big house on the Atlantic shore. It's for a month, okay? But his wife is some sort of insurance executive, and she won a 3 week Caribbean cruise because of the way her division performed last year, so they don't want to use the timeshare this year. He has to pay for his time, even if he doesn't use it, so he wondered if we'd be interested in taking his spot." Seeing that his wife was not impressed, Booth continued quickly. "We only have to take it for a month, and he's gonna give us a good rate. Instead of the normal 5000 dollars, it'll only be 2500 for the whole month. That's cheap, Bones…a lot cheaper than a hotel, and it's not a long term commitment...it's just this one time. He's just trying to help me out, okay, and we can help him out at the same time. I think it's worth considering..."

"No." Brennan shook her head and moved into the kitchen to begin cooking dinner.

"That's it? No? You didn't even let me finish…", Booth sputtered. "We could go out on a big fishing boat for a day trip, and we could use the jet ski while we're staying there. It'll be a lot of fun. The kids would love it...playing in the water and building sand castles…"

She turned and shook her finger at him. "Spending a month at the beach is not my idea of a restful vacation, Booth. If we rent a large house, we'd still have to cook and clean every day. It will be hot and muggy at the seashore, and the house probably isn't be air conditioned. It would be a full time task just to keep our children covered with sunscreen, and they would constantly be tracking sand into the house. You won't be able to swim or use your jet ski because you'll need to keep that filthy ocean water out of your wound. Do you know how much fecal bacteria is present in seawater? If your goal is for Hank and Christine to play in some water, I'd rather stay home and take the children to a water park or the public pool down the street, where at least they chlorinate the water, and it would be significantly less expensive." Brennan slammed a cabinet door as she set a wok down on the stove. Pulling out a cutting board, she began chopping an onion noisily. "So, no!"

"I see." Booth used a finger to trace a pattern on the granite countertop of the bar, sighing heavily. "I'm sorry I mentioned it. I just thought that after all that's happened around here over the last few months, it would be nice for us to get away from everything for awhile. You know what happens if we vacation at home, right? Everybody at work says they'll leave us alone, but then they end up calling us to assist them with one thing or another, and we end up getting no rest." He shrugged a shoulder as he deployed some sad puppy eyes in her direction, which she attempted to ignore. "I just wanted to spend some time with my family...just the four of us, you know? And this beach house seemed to be the perfect choice for us to do that. It's only 3 hours away…but never mind. I'll just call Smitty after dinner and tell him we're not interested."

Brennan was ready to engage in round two of why going to the beach for a month was a bad idea when she heard a small voice from the hallway. "Mama? I hungry."

"I know, Hank. I'm working on it." She went to pick up the little boy, and then handed him over to his father. "Why don't you sit here with Daddy? Your sister will be home soon and then we'll eat."

Hank smiled at his father as he rubbed his eyes and pointed to a plastic box on the counter. "Dada...truck?"

A sly smile crept across Booth's face. He was determined to go to the beach for his vacation, and he was willing to use any trick at his disposal to achieve his goal. "Here's your truck, buddy." The little boy was content, babbling about his truck as his daddy rolled another one across the counter. "Here we go, Hank...me and you are gonna drive these trucks across the sand at the beach."

"Bea?" The little boy repeated.

"That's right, Hank. The beach. It's a lot of fun to go to the beach. We can go swimming at the beach…"

"Twim? Wanna go twim, Mama…", Hank squealed, as he bounced in his seat and waved his toy truck in the air. "Twim at bea, Mama…"

Brennan was indignant at Booth's subterfuge, and was on the verge of being really angry when she heard the front door slam. "Hi, Mommy. Hi, Daddy. What's for dinner?"

"Chrissy! Chrissy! Twim at bea! Twim at bea!" Hank was waving his hands emphatically as he burbled excitedly.

Christine was very confused as she turned to her father. "What's Hank talking about?"

"Oh, he's just excited because he wants to go swimming at the beach this summer." Booth winked at his daughter. "But we have to see what your Mom says. We can spend a whole month at the beach if she says it's okay, but she's not sure it's a good idea."

"Mommy! Can we please go to the beach? Pleeeease? Come on, Mommy! Please say yes! Please?" Christine clasped her hands together in supplication. "It'll be so much fun…I promise I'll wear sunscreen without whining...I love to go to the beach. Please?"

"Yeah, Mommy. It'll be so much fun…" Booth laughed as he winked at his wife, who gave him an icy glare.

Turning back to the wok, she dished out the stir fry mixture onto some dinner plates. "Your father and I will discuss it later this evening, but I'm not promising anything. Right now, we're going to have a pleasant dinner and talk about other things."

"Okay…" Christine sank sullenly into her chair at the dinner table. "But I'd be really happy if we could go…"

Booth took a big bite of his dinner and made a horrible face. "What the hell is this anyway? Where's the chicken that goes in this stir fry?"

Brennan smiled primly as she sprinkled some soy sauce on her meal. "Oh, I'm sorry, Booth. I was so caught up in our discussion about going to the beach, I forgot to cook the chicken. I guess you'll just have to eat tofu this evening."

Taking a big drink of his water, he glared as his wife as he wiped his mouth. "Oh, I get it. You want to play dirty, huh? Well, we'll just see about that…"

Oooooooooo

Booth stood in the bathroom brushing his teeth, trying to watch his wife's reflection in the mirror as she lay in bed. He could tell by the way she turned the pages of her magazine that she was still annoyed, but he figured it wouldn't be too hard to make her more amenable to seeing things his way. After rinsing out the sink, he turned off the water and sauntered toward his side of the bed, pausing to turn back the sheets and comforter.

"You know, Bones…" he began, as he climbed into bed next to her. "...I have great memories of going to the beach with Pops and Nana…we always had so much fun. I think we should help our kids make some great memories of vacations at the beach, too."

"Hmmm...I also remember you telling me about how much time it took your grandmother to prepare for your trips to the seashore." Brennan turned to the next page of her magazine without looking at her husband. "You said she'd spend hours packing the old Pontiac just to spend a day at the beach. I think you mentioned that it seemed she was trying to prepare for an Army battalion to go on bivouac."

"Yeah, but this will be different, because we'll be able to get groceries and other supplies in Ocean Pines. We won't have to take all of our food with us…"

"I'm sure the food prices in the stores will be greatly inflated since it's a resort town.", she huffed. "We'll also need to bring bedding and towels in addition to our clothing, and beach umbrellas, and folding chairs, and…"

Booth interrupted Brennan by putting his arms around her and pulling her close for a kiss. "You know what other wonderful beach memories I have? Remember when we went to Cape Hatteras for the weekend? Just the two of us? We were at that nice little bed and breakfast, with the private patio that looked out over the beach and the ocean beyond…"

"Except we never actually made it down to the beach, did we, Booth? We didn't have to worry about tracking in sand, because we never left our room. In fact, I'm not sure we actually got out of the bed." She giggled as he nibbled her ear. "We did have a wonderful time…it seemed like there was something about being next to the ocean that I found quite stimulating…"

"Or maybe it was your partner that you found stimulating…we made love for hours, remember?" Booth twitched an eyebrow at his wife. "Smitty says that the beach house has the master bedroom on one side of the house, away from the other bedrooms. We wouldn't have to worry about the kids hearing us if things get wild, you know? We could have the breeze blowing in off the ocean, cooling us off when things got hot…" He gently ran his hands over his wife's body. "And things will probably get very hot. C'mon, Bones...let's go to the beach, okay? The kids would have fun, and me and you would have some fun as well. There wouldn't be anybody to bother us...we could reconnect as a family. I think the kids need that…" He kissed her again and gave her a bit of a pouty face. "C'mon...it's not like we can't afford it, and we have some vacation time coming", he wheedled. "I want to have some time alone with my wife and my kids...because I love you and my kids so much…you know that, right?"

Brennan couldn't help but grin at her husband's sad little boy routine. Figuring she'd been beaten fair and square, she sighed softly. She knew how important this vacation was to Booth, and she had to agree that maybe her family needed some time to reconnect with each other after the recent traumatic events. Booth rarely asked for anything from her, so perhaps it was time to indulge this whimsical wish for their vacation. She also knew that she might regret her decision later, but…

"Okay, Booth...we can go to the beach."


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: like everyone else, I have some fun vacation memories to share, and I've incorporated some of them into this story._

* * *

After much hullabaloo and a lot of planning, it was time to get the SUV packed to go to the beach house. Booth stood out in the garage next to the SUV, trying to figure out how to get everything into the back of the truck. He'd badly underestimated how many things his wife would think of as necessities for a month at the beach. Lawn chairs, umbrellas, coolers, towels, linens...it would've been much easier to pack for a trip to the moon.

Brennan brought out another box of food and peered into the back of the vehicle. "It appears that we're running out of room. Perhaps we should rent a trailer, or one of those clam shell carriers to put on the top of the SUV."

"We don't need some stupid clam shell carrier on top of my SUV!" Booth bit his tongue to keep from venting any more of his frustration at his wife. After all, he was the one who'd insisted that they rent this beach house, and while he'd thoroughly enjoyed convincing her that it was a good idea on that pleasant evening a week ago, he knew better than to push his luck at the moment. "Bones, I'm not sure you understand, okay? We're renting a furnished house in a resort community. It's not like we're going on a dig to the Makipulu Islands. We don't need to take all this crap. They even have an organic grocery store, for God's sake…"

Brennan eyed him primly as she set the box next to the truck. "That may be true, but I want to be prepared in case the selection of fruit isn't as good as what we have here." She pointed to the back of the truck again. "Don't forget to leave room for our luggage."

"Yes, thank you. I'll remember." Booth took out the lawn chairs and tried to rearrange things in the truck again. "I think maybe some of this stuff can ride in the floorboards of the backseat. It's only a three hour drive, and with the kids in car seats there should be plenty of room on the floor."

"I suppose, but remember the children will have their backpacks with them. I told them they could bring some books, and each of them have selected two movies to bring with them." Brennan stood on her toes so she could look over Booth's shoulder. "Perhaps you should move the life jackets. Why are we taking life jackets, anyway?"

"To wear when we ride the jet ski. Gotta have life jackets." He squeezed them into a corner of the cargo hold. "I know you think it's gonna be bad for my belly wound, but Dr. Granger said I could use some gauze and then cover it with some waterproof tape, like duct tape, and that since it'll be under my life vest, it should work okay." Seeing his wife's irritation, he chuckled. "You just didn't want me to bring that thing, did you? Now you'll have to ride it with me…"

"You know that won't be possible, Booth. One of us will need to constantly watch Hank around the water." She moved the lawn chairs out of the way. "Make sure you pack both of the umbrellas."

"If you've put them in the pile, I'll pack them, okay? Are the kids' bags packed yet?"

"Yes, they're right inside the door, sitting next to the washer. I'll bring them out shortly." Brennan turned away from him to answer her phone. "Yes, Ms. Warren. You're available? Excellent. When can you come by and get the key? Yes, we'll still be here. Good. I'd like to go over everything with you before we leave. Alright...see you then...goodbye."

"What was that all about?" Booth stood with his hands on his hips. "I thought this was going to be our trip, right? Just for our family?"

"It is, but Ms. Warren is going to water my plants. I don't want to return after a month at the beach and find my herb garden is ruined." Brennan rolled her eyes at her husband. "I've stopped the mail and your paper, but it won't hurt for Jessica to come by and check on the house while we're gone."

"But that's the thing, see? Jessica will tell Aubrey what she's doing, and he won't want her to come here by herself to check on our house because...well, just because, and so he'll raid my snack stash while he's waiting for her to finish the watering. Anyway, they might decide they want to come visit us at the beach for a Saturday or something, and I'm not sure I want that. I wanted this to be a "what's ours is ours thing, you know? Just for my family."

"Oh…" Brennan grimaced as she turned to go back into the house. "I see…"

"Oh? Oh, what? Bones...there's something you're not telling me…" Booth watched her turn and move in a hurry to go indoors. Normally, she'd stand next to him to tell him he was packing the truck incorrectly. Suspicious, he quickly moved between his wife and the door leading from the garage to the house. "Okay...spill it…"

"Well, Angela and I were talking about our vacation plans at work Friday, and I sort of invited her family to come spend a weekend with us at the beach house, and I think Ms. Warren and Aubrey are going to come that same weekend."

"Seriously? This is supposed to be our family time, right?" Booth gritted his teeth and exhaled slowly. "I wish you would've discussed this with me first before you invited them."

"It just sort of popped out, you know? I wasn't planning to invite them, but it just happened." Brennan shrugged as she reached out to rub Booth's arm in an effort to placate him. "Angela and Jack are like family to us, Booth. You know I consider her to be like a sister to me. And the way Aubrey stood by me while I was looking for you when you were missing, not knowing if you were actually still alive...he deserves to be considered family, too."

Booth finally nodded in agreement. "Okay, okay...I guess you're right...but just for one weekend, right? We're gonna be busy, you know? Ocean Pines is centrally located close to the coast, so we can go to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware one day, and then to the Assateague National Seashore to see some dolphins, and we can spend some time at the Ocean City Beach, too. They have a huge boardwalk. It's gonna be fun…plus we'll need time just to hang out and relax...the resort has miniature golf and regular golf, and racquetball courts and all sorts of stuff."

"Yes, they're all just coming for one weekend, which amounts to about ten percent of our vacation time. We'll have plenty of time left for all of those other activities." Brennan pulled Booth close and smiled. "And as far as 'what's ours is ours' goes, Booth, I think between what's mine and what's yours, we'll be able to find time for 'what's ours', don't you?" She rubbed the back of his thigh and then pinched his butt as she gave him a sultry smile. "I find I'm looking forward to that very much…"

"Yeah…" Booth exhaled slowly, a little breathless at his wife's suggestion. "Maybe we ought to go soon, huh?"

Brennan laughed as she arched her eyebrow at him. "Ms. Warren will be here in an hour or so, and Hank and Christine are napping. Can you take a break from packing the SUV? I want to show you my new bathing suit. I'm going to try it on in our bedroom…"

Booth jogged over to slam the tailgate of the truck closed. "I'll be right there…"

Oooooooooo

Three hours later, they were on the road, ready to make the three hour drive to Ocean Pines, Maryland. Because it was Sunday afternoon, the traffic wasn't as bad as it normally might've been, but there were still plenty of cars on the highway. However, it was a pleasant drive from DC to the Atlantic Coast...for the most part.

"Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom." Christine wiggled in her car seat. "I don't think I can wait."

Booth glanced at the rearview mirror. "I can't stop now, Sweetheart. We're on a bridge crossing the Chesapeake Bay. When we get over the bay, we can stop if you still need to, okay?"

"But Daddy…" Christine whimpered. "I have to go…"

"Well, think of something else, okay? Don't look at the water out there. I know. Why don't you sing Mommy that song from that movie you like so well. What's it called?"

"You mean _Under the Sea_ from _The Little Mermaid?_ " Christine bit her lip. "I have to go to the bathroom now!"

"I'm sorry, Baby. What's another movie you like? Besides _Finding Nemo?_ " He glanced at Brennan. "A little help here, Bones…"

"Oh, yes...help. Christine, don't concentrate on your bladder's sphincter muscles. Think about something else. Let's see...I know. What's the capital of Maryland?"

The little girl thought for a minute. "Annapolis?"

"That's right. Very good. Now, here are some interesting facts about Annapolis. Listen carefully, and if you can tell me all five of these facts later, I'll give you a quarter, okay? Wouldn't you like Mommy to give you a quarter?"

"I'd rather have a dollar, Mommy." Christine twisted in her seat. "I have to go…"

Booth was appalled. "Are you really bribing our daughter to make her learn something?"

"No, I'm trying to keep her mind from lingering on bodily functions." Brennan turned slightly to smile at her daughter. "Okay, Christine, if you can tell me all five facts later this evening, I'll give you a dollar. Are you ready? Here we go: Annapolis was the capital of the US for a short time. It was named for Princess Anne of Denmark and Norway. It's the closest state capital to Washington, DC. It has a humid subtropical climate, and it's the home of the Naval Academy."

"What's the Naval Academy?", Christine asked.

Booth smiled at the rearview mirror again. "That's where they train people to work on those big aircraft carriers that travel far across the ocean. Some of them even go deep under the water in submarines.

"DADDY! I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!

Ooooooooooo

Dusk was settling over the Ocean Pines Resort as Booth pulled up to the house where they'd spend the next month. It was an imposing white clapboard structure with lots of windows, standing two stories high with a wraparound porch facing the street. "Well, here we are. This is gonna be our home for the next month.", Booth crowed, obviously pleased with himself. "So whad'dya think, Bones? Nice, isn't it?"

"It does look nice. Do you have the key? I'd like to look around inside." Brennan stood on the porch impatiently, waiting for her husband to find the house key. "You have it, don't you?"

"Yeah, of course I have it. I just have to find it." He rummaged around through the glove box and the console of the SUV. "It's gotta be around here somewhere."

"Are you sure you brought it with you?" Bouncing on the balls of her feet, Brennan listened as her husband grumbled to himself.

"Yes, of course I'm sure. Oh, here it is…" He held up his prize. "It was in my wallet. Okay, let's see now…" He unlocked the door, and they walked into the main living area of the house.

"So Hank and Christine will sleep in the rooms on that side of the stairway…" Booth pointed off to his right. "...and me and Mommy will sleep on this side." Nodding toward the stairway, he continued. "There are some more guest rooms upstairs, but when Hodgins and Angela come, we'll just have the kids bunk together and they can have a downstairs room. Here's the kitchen…" The kitchen and the veranda had a view of one of the branches of the estuary that led down to the Atlantic. "Pretty nice."

"I must admit, this is much better than I expected. I suggest that we bring in the cooler and make some sandwiches for dinner before we unpack the rest of our things."

"Sounds like a plan." Booth grinned as he kissed his wife. "Thanks, Bones."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Thanks for what?"

"For being okay with coming to the beach. I know it's not your favorite thing…"

"Normally, that's true, but I was just thinking about how nice it will be to sit out on the veranda with a cup of tea in the morning. I'm looking forward to that."

"Yeah, me, too, only with a cup of coffee." Booth looked down at Christine, who was shivering slightly. "Are you cold, Sweetheart? The ocean breezes can be chilly in the evening."

Brennan rubbed her daughter's back to warm her up. "Christine, I packed a lightweight sweatshirt in your bag. Why don't you go get it and put it on?"

"Okay, Mommy." Christine walked out to the car as her parents got the evening meal ready. She soon came back in wearing a frown instead of a sweatshirt. "Mommy, I can't find my bag."

"That's strange. I know I took it out for your father to put into the SUV. Just a minute...I'll come look." Wiping her hands on a paper towel, Brennan went out to help Christine look, but they came back empty handed. "Booth? Do you remember seeing Christine's Hello Kitty duffel bag?"

"Well, yeah...I put it in the SUV…" He paused as he realized what had happened. "...and then I took it out to rearrange things, and I guess I forgot to put it back in. It's sitting in the garage as we speak."

"So Christine has no clothing to wear for a month at the beach." Brennan was not impressed.

"What's the big deal? Just go get her a couple of pairs of shorts and some tee shirts at the local shops. I'm sure you can find her some panties and a bathing suit, too." Squirming a bit under his wife's glare, he tried to shrug off his mistake. "I'm sorry, but it's not the end of the world, is it?" After acting suitably contrite, Booth threw in some sad puppy eyes for good measure. "C'mon, Bones...it's no big deal…is it?"

Shaking her head at her shamelessly charming husband, Brennan finally offered up a small smile. "No, I suppose not. I'll take Christine first thing in the morning to get some new clothes." Bouncing a fussy Hank on her hip, she brought the sandwiches and some fresh fruit to the dinner table. "Here we go. Our first meal at the beach."

"Yeah." Booth took a big bite of his ham and cheese on rye. "The first meal of a wonderful beach vacation."

* * *

 _Are we having fun yet?_


	3. Chapter 3

Booth's eyes slowly blinked open in the pale morning light. He grinned as he rolled over and put his arm around his wife. "Mornin', Bones…"

"Hmmm...what time is it?" She moaned softly as she leaned back against her husband's broad chest.

"Six. Sleep well?"

"When I actually was able to sleep...someone kept trying to wake me up every few hours so I could entertain him." She giggled as his fingers started to skim across her abdomen. "It's my vacation. Shouldn't I be able to sleep late if I want? What do you want to do today?"

Booth nuzzled his wife's neck as he sighed happily. "I think you know…"

"I mean after we get out of bed." Brennan turned to face Booth and propped her head up on her arm. "Maybe we should go to the beach. The air temperature is supposed to be pleasant and there is very little chance of precipitation for today."

"Yeah, maybe. We can drive a couple of miles over to Ocean City and let the kids play in the water for a couple of hours and then we can check out the boardwalk. Their boardwalk is supposed to be one of the best in the country." Booth pushed a strand of hair behind Brennan's ear. "They've got a carousel and a Ferris wheel. I bet the kids would like to check those things out."

"I've made reservations for Christine and Hank to participate in a Pirate Adventure in Rehoboth Beach tomorrow, and maybe later this week we can go over to Assateague and Chincoteague. Christine really likes that book _Misty of Chincoteague,_ about the feral horses that live there. I don't know if we'll actually get to see any of the horses, but it's part of the National Seashore system, so we should probably take the opportunity to visit there." Brennan chuckled as Booth pulled her close and kissed her. "Perhaps the children will be tired this evening and they'll go to bed early…"

"That's what I thought, too. Playing in the sun and water all day is bound to make them sleepy." Booth nibbled at Brennan's ear. "Hopefully, chasing them around won't wear me out as well…"

"I certainly hope not." Brennan ran her finger down her husband's bare chest. "However, we should consider using our time wisely this morning…."

"An excellent idea, Bones. C'mere…"

Oooooooooo

At seven AM two small pairs of feet came running into their bedroom. "Mama, I hungry.", Hank announced.

"So what else is new?" Booth sat up in bed, grinning at his children. "Let me guess...you guys want breakfast, right?"

"Yes, Daddy! We want pancakes!" Christine pulled on her father's arm to drag him out of bed. "Please? We're hungry!"

"Okay, let's go see if your mom brought stuff to make pancakes." Pulling on a tee shirt, he followed his noisy offspring into the kitchen. "Yep, here we go...pancake mix, and here's a skillet. Christine, you see if you can find some plates. Whoa, Tiger…" Catching Hank by his pajama top, Booth brought his son to the table. "You can't go outside unless someone's with you, okay? You don't know how to swim very well, and you might fall into the water. After breakfast we'll go outside for a few minutes, okay? Hey, guess what? We're gonna go swim at the beach today!"

"Twim at bea!" Hank bounced up and down in his chair. "Twim, Daddy!"

"That's right. We're gonna swim. Christine, go ask your mother if she wants breakfast...oh, there you are." Booth grinned at his wife's tousled hair, remembering how it managed to get that way. "Here you go, Bones. A couple of pancakes for you…"

"Thank you. After breakfast we'll need to get our bathing suits on and find our towels. Christine, I know your bathing suit is at home, so we'll stop at a store and get you one so you can swim, too."

Okay, Mommy." Christine took a big bite of her pancakes. "Can I get a keenie?"

"No way." Booth shook his head as he stabbed his pancakes. "No daughter of mine is wearing a bikini. You can get a regular one piece bathing suit."

"I think you're overreacting, Booth. After all, my bathing suit is a modified bikini…" Brennan grinned at her husband's glare. "Don't worry. I'm sure we can find a bathing suit suitable for Christine."

"Good, and while you're at it, maybe a cover up for you, right?" Booth winked at his wife. "I don't want to cause a panic on the beach when all the guys see how hot my wife is…"

Christine rolled her eyes at her silly father. "Of course Mommy is gonna be hot, Daddy. It's summertime."

"Right." Eating his last bite of pancakes, Booth got up and took his plate over to the sink. "Okay, let's get this cleaned up so we can go. I hate coming home to a sink full of dirty dishes."

Oooooooooo

When the family finally got to the beach, it took several minutes to get umbrellas, towels, beach chairs, toys, and everything else ready before they could finally get into the water. Hank and Christine were slathered head to toe in sunscreen, and tried to wait patiently for it to dry before they ran to the water's edge. The children squealed happily as the water lapped at their toes, trying to outrun the waves as they came to shore. Booth followed closely behind, allowing his kids to feel independent, but within arm's reach if they should fall. After about twenty minutes of being at the water's edge, Christine felt brave enough to wade into the waves.

"Hold my hand, Daddy." She got a firm grip on her father's hand as he balanced Hank on his hip, and they slowly walked into the water until it was about waist deep on Christine. She stood quietly for a few minutes, seemingly amazed by the motion of the water around her. "I can feel the sand moving around my feet! It's all squishy!"

"I know. It's kind of fun, isn't it? Oh, look...there goes a little fish…" Booth pointed as a small slender shape went racing by.

"Is that a shark, Daddy?" Christine gave him a wide eyed stare. "I don't like sharks…"

"Nah, it wasn't big enough to be a shark. Probably a mullet. Don't fret, Sweetheart." Booth decided to change the subject. "Hey, maybe while we're here at the beach house we can go out in a boat and see some dolphins. I know your mommy would like that."

"Daddy...want down." Hank was trying to squirm free from his father's grasp. "Twim…"

"Just a minute there, Tiger…" Walking back to shore, Booth set Hank down in the shallow water. "Here we go...wave to Mommy…" Hank turned around to wave to Brennan, who was ensconced under a large beach umbrella. A whitecap came rushing in, knocking the little boy down before his father could catch him. Snatching the child out of the water, Booth pulled him close. "Are you okay, Hank?"

Hank sputtered and then laughed gleefully. "Twim, Daddy! Wanna twim."

"Okay. Let's sit here in the water and watch Chrissy, and we can swim." Booth and Hank splashed in the water as it came to shore as Christine played in the gentle waves.

"Booth, I think it's time for Christine and Hank to put more sunscreen on." Brennan held up a bottle for him to see. "You need some as well…"

"Geez, you know I hate that stuff, Bones. It's sticky and it smells like pina colada crap." Booth cringed as he brought Hank and Christine to see their mother. "I don't really think I need it, anyway. I always tan…"

"Unfortunately, the thinning of the Earth's ozone layer is such that even people who normally tan can experience overexposure to the sun's ultraviolet radiation." Smirking at her husband, she slowly applied sunscreen to her chest, arching her eyebrow suggestively as she spoke. "I would be so disappointed if our evening's activities were cut short because you were sunburned…"

Booth got the message. "Yeah, okay. Hand over the sunscreen…"

Oooooooooo

After taking a break for lunch, Hank and Christine wanted to swim so more. "Come on, Mommy...come in the water."

Brennan resisted at first, but after much pleading, she finally gave in. "Oh, alright. Let me make sure I've applied adequate sunscreen." Holding Christine's hand, she tiptoed into the water. "The water is much colder than I anticipated!", she giggled. Brennan and Christine bobbed up and down in the waves as the water came rushing to shore. Booth hoisted Hank up on his shoulders, and the family played together in the water, enjoying the afternoon and each other's company. Hank and Christine built sand castles and collected shells that had washed up on the beach. The children squealed and laughed as they chased the shorebirds that ran along the water's edge.

Booth took a nap under the umbrella as his wife kept an eye on Hank and Christine. Brennan glanced at her husband as he slept, noticing how peaceful he looked. He had been under so much stress since his brother's death and his own severe injury, and now it seemed he was finally able to relax. She smiled as she gazed out at the ocean, glad that she had agreed to a family vacation at the beach. Being away from work had helped both of them heal from their recent trauma. It was just what they'd needed.

A few more hours passed idly by, and the family decided pack up the car so they could check out the Ocean City boardwalk. Putting Hank in his stroller, the family purchased some ice cream before window shopping as they strolled along, enjoying the sights and sounds of the various vendors along the way. They ducked into an arcade, where Booth won prizes for Christine and Hank at the shooting gallery. They all rode the carousel and the Ferris wheel before heading back to the car for the short trip home.

They grilled some hot dogs for dinner, including vegetarian ones for Brennan, and sat on the veranda as the dusk crept in around them. Fireflies danced across the night sky, much to the delight of Hank and Christine. Constellations began to appear in the darkness, and Brennan pointed them out to her children, hoping to pass on the love of astronomy that she'd received from her father.

"Too bad we didn't bring a telescope.", Booth commented. "I bet we could see a lot stars and planets as dark as it is out here."

"Maybe we can bring one next time we come to the ocean." Brennan grinned at Booth's surprise. "You were right. So far our vacation has been very relaxing, and I think we should make it a tradition."

"Good to know." Booth nodded toward the two drowsy children. "See? I told you they'd be worn out. Let's get them to bed."

Christine and Hank were tucked safely in bed as Brennan joined Booth back on the veranda. A cool breeze washed across them as they enjoyed a nightcap.

"I had a wonderful day today, Booth. It was quite enjoyable."

"Yeah, me, too. You know, I think the best part of the deal is that no one knows who we are. I mean, I know you're a famous author, but it seems like it was just us by ourselves out there today...just our little family, and we could have fun together on our own. I guess it sounds selfish, but I'm glad we're here alone, without our friends…at least for a week or two."

"No, I don't think you're being selfish. No one has called us away from our children for anything they thought was more important. We don't have to go to work on some terrible case, and we have many fewer responsibilities here. We can just be us for a change. It's a wonderful thing to be able to relax like this, and I'm enjoying it tremendously. I'm glad you suggested it."

"So you're actually saying I was right?" Booth grinned at his wife. "See, the bad part about it being just us is that no one's gonna believe you said I was right."

"I guess it'll be your word against mine, Booth." Brennan giggled at his annoyance. "By the way, we've made plans for this evening, didn't we? For just the two of us?"

He took his wife's hand and smiled. "We did. Let's adjourn to our bedroom for this evening. We'll need to rest so we can go play pirates tomorrow."

Brennan chuckled as she followed him to their bedroom. "Who said anything about rest, Booth?"


	4. Chapter 4

The hour long pirate tour at Rehoboth Beach had been a huge success. Christine and Hank had both been given black eye patches and paper pirate hats to wear as the creaky wooden ship sailed around the harbor, and as the tour progressed, all of the children who were on the tour were invited to help the pirate leader, 'Captain Blood', find his buried treasure, which consisted of a large trunk filled with wrapped candy and strings of brightly colored plastic beads and many other assorted 'jewels'. Each child got their own share of the 'booty' to take home in a miniature plastic chest, along with the eye patches and hats, and everyone sang a rousing chorus of ' _Fifteen men on a dead man's chest...yo ho ho and a bottle of rum'_ as the ship sailed back to the pier _._

Booth and Brennan had also enjoyed the tour, discussing it as they reminisced about one of their first cases together while enjoying the veranda's porch swing later that day. Christine and Hank were playing pirates in the sand nearby as their watchful parents chatted quietly.

"I still think that coroner was kind of skeevy, Bones. He was way too fascinated with thinking about what you'd look like in a wetsuit for my liking." Booth grimaced slightly as he remembered the odd man from so many years ago. "He kept making comments about how much he enjoyed a challenge, and I don't think he was talking about the conversations between the two of you."

"That's ridiculous, Booth. You and I barely knew each other at the time. Why would you be concerned over what that man thought about my body?" Brennan shook her head as she thought about the case. "He really was incompetent, destroying evidence on that phalange the way he did, but that doesn't mean he was socially inept or some sort of sexual predator." Grinning slyly, she reached over and took Booth's hand. "Were you merely jealous of his attention towards me, or were you also thinking about what I'd look like in a wetsuit?"

"Bones! Not in front of the kids!" Booth chuckled as he twitched his eyebrow at his wife. "I was just making sure the guy acted like a gentleman, okay? No pervert was gonna get away with treating my partner like some sort of sex object." Blushing slightly at his wife's sexy smirk, he nodded. "And I was maybe just a little bit possessive of you, even back then, and yes, I was probably thinking about how you might fill out a wetsuit, okay? I couldn't help it. You were so hot...and you still are. C'mere…" He gave her a kiss and smiled suggestively. "Maybe later we can hunt for a different kind of treasure. Whatd'ya think? A little role play? I'll be the pirate captain and you can be my wench. I want my share of the booty..." He winked as he reached down to pat her butt. "If you know what I mean…"

"I think I'd enjoy that very much, Captain Booth, but I'm not sure your doctor would approve of too much rough housing, even though your injury seems to be completely healed. I think he wants to see you one more time before he clears you for that sort of activity. After all, your 'wench' might want to find her own treasure." Seeing Booth's disappointment, Brennan gave him a kiss on the cheek. "However, if we use our imagination, and we aren't too rambunctious, I'm sure we can find a way to entertain ourselves that would be stimulating enough to satisfy you without causing you any further injury. Don't forget...I'm an expert in kinesiology, and I know how to move in all the right ways…"

Groaning softly as his imagination ran amok, Booth was brought back to reality by Christine tugging on his sleeve. "Daddy! Daddy! Look at my map! I made it when I buried my treasure box down by the beach!"

"Excellent, Christine!" Brennan took the map from her daughter and studied it carefully. "It looks like this map will be easy to follow. Look, Booth...ten steps from the edge of the porch and then twenty steps east toward the water…"

"Hey, that is good." Booth winked at the little girl as he pointed at the piece of paper. "But are these Christine sized steps or Daddy sized steps?"

"I made the map, so the steps are my size. C'mon, Daddy, I'll show you. Please?" Christine batted her eyelashes at her father and then deployed a fair imitation of sad puppy eyes. "Hank's no fun. He can't read the map to look for my treasure chest. I want you to play pirates with me, Daddy…it'll be fun. Please?"

"Booth, why don't you go find the treasure with Christine while I transfer the laundry to the dryer? Then, when you find it, you can move it to a different location and make another map, so that Hank and I can find it again after he's had a nap. I'm sure Christine would have fun, and it would help her observational skills." Brennan smiled as she patted the little girl's head. "You'll have to be clever, though. I'm very good at reading charts and maps…"

"Come on, Sweetheart. I bet we can bury this treasure where Mommy will never find it, even with a really good map." Booth took his daughter's hand as they walked away from the porch. "Okay, let's count steps….one, two, three…"

Brennan grinned as she picked up a sleepy Hank, watching as Booth tried to shorten his steps to match Christine's stride. She was pleased to see how relaxed and playful Booth had been over the last few days. Even though she'd never admit it to her husband, Brennan realized that their time at the beach house had been much more relaxing than she had anticipated. _Perhaps_ _an annual summer vacation to the beach might be a good thing_ , she thought to herself as she picked up some beach towels to take inside. They'd had so much fun over the last week, and it would be very pleasant to be able to enjoy more time together next year.

She lay Hank in his bed before walking into the kitchen to get a drink of water. She could see Booth and Christine through the kitchen window, watching them as they dug a hole in the sand, evidently finding the spot where the 'treasure' had been buried. Turning away so she could put the clothes in the dryer, she was surprised to hear Christine's indignant squeal. Booth had picked the little girl up and was hurriedly walking toward the house.

"What happened? What's wrong?", Brennan exclaimed as she saw her daughter's tears. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's gonna be fine, aren't you, Sweetheart? I think she's more scared than hurt." Booth bit his lip to avoid laughing at Christine's pouty expression as he sat her on the kitchen counter. "We were digging for the treasure chest when we disturbed a little crab, who wasn't very happy about the intrusion, and he nipped her finger with his claw." Holding the finger where his wife could see, he pointed to the small wound. "We need to clean this cut out a little bit and put a bandaid on it, and she'll be fixed up good as new in no time."

"That crab was mean! We weren't going to hurt him, but he pinched me anyway." Christine sniffled a bit as her mother washed her wound. "Ow! That hurts, Mommy!"

"I'm sure it stings a little, but it's just soap." Brennan got out the first aid kit and found a _Little Mermaid_ bandage to wrap around Christine's finger. "You know, we have to share the beach with the animals who live here. They've been here a lot longer than us, right? The crab didn't know what you were doing, Christine. He was just trying to protect his home from intruders." Kissing the little girl's finger, she ruffled the child's hair. "I have an idea. Let's have some apple slices, and then later today you and Daddy can cautiously check the spot where the treasure is buried to see if the crab is still there before you dig in the sand some more."

"Okay, Mommy. Can I have some peanut butter, too?" Christine wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I think that can be arranged. Go wash your hands, please." Chuckling as she took the peanut butter out of the cupboard, Brennan turned to her husband. "It appears that being a pirate is quite dangerous, Booth. Who knew you'd encounter killer crabs as you searched for buried treasure."

"Yeah, I guess so. That little guy thought he was pretty ferocious, standing there waving his claws in the air, daring us to mess with him." Booth embraced his wife and caressed her gently. "But I know just how he feels. Someone comes messing with my house, and I'm gonna take them out, right?"

"Yes, I know that's true." Brennan sighed softly as she embraced her husband. "But I don't want to think about that right now. I just want to think about spending time together with our family. That's really the only treasure I'm looking for right now."

"And I'm gonna help you find that." He drew her closer and kissed her. "This is worth more to me than anything I could buy."

"Mama, I hungry." Hank pulled on his mother's shorts. "Wanna nack, mama."

"You're supposed to be napping, young man." Brennan giggled as she picked up her son. "Okay, you can have a snack. Christine is going to have some apples and peanut butter. How does that sound?"

"Yay. Want apples, mama." Hank tried to squirm from his mother's grasp. "Want down, mama."

"Here...sit in your chair. Christine, come sit down." The family gathered around the kitchen table to enjoy a snack.

"Bones, I think tomorrow we oughta go over to Assateague Island. Smitty said that there's a tent and some cots out in the garage we can use to camp on the beach for the night."

"I think Christine would enjoy the trip. Remember how much you liked that book, Christine? _Misty of Chincoteague_? Daddy wants to go to barrier islands where the horses live."

Christine munched on an apple slice as she thought about the plans for the next day. "That sounds like fun! Will we get to see some of the horses, Daddy?"

"I don't know. I guess we can look, right?" Booth smiled at his little girl. "I think the horses are wild, though. We can't ride them, or anything like that."

"I know. I'd just like to look at them." Christine took another big bite of apple. "Maybe we can take them some apples and carrots."

"The horses are feral animals, Christine. I'm not sure feeding them is a good idea." Brennan's brow furrowed slightly as she thought about their plans. "I'm also unsure as to whether or not it's a good idea to tent camp on the beach. Won't it be really windy on the shore after sunset, Booth?"

"Nah, it'll be fine. We just have to use some really long tent stakes." He wiped a dab of peanut butter from his lip as he continued. "It'll just be overnight. We can have sandwiches for dinner and build a campfire. It'll be fun."

Still unconvinced, Brennan glared slightly at her husband. "We'll see. I suppose that will work."

"Yeah, you'll see. It'll be great. Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we go play some miniature golf?"

"Daddy, we're supposed to go check on the treasure." Christine rolled her eyes at her forgetful father. "We need to do that before we play golf."

"Oh, I forgot. Okay, let's help Mommy clean up first, and then we'll go look for it. Maybe the crab will leave us alone now."

"I hope so. I really want to dig up the treasure chest.", Christine sighed.

Oooooooooo

Later that afternoon, Booth and Hank were teamed against Brennan and Christine as they played miniature golf on the resort community's small course. Hank spent most of the game trying to throw the brightly colored balls into the various holes, laughing merrily as he ran away while his daddy chased him to get the golf balls away from his son. Brennan scored a couple of holes in one, due to her superior understanding of the laws of physics and the mechanics of the windmill hazard, but Christine ended up with the low score, winning the game by three strokes.

After dinner, Hank and Christine took turns hiding their treasure chests in the house for each other to find before it was time for them to go to bed. After a quick bath and a couple of short books, the children were soon tucked into to their beds, sound asleep.

Brennan joined her husband on the porch swing, laying her head on his shoulder, listening to the sounds of the night as the cool breezes wafted off the bay. "We had a good day today, didn't we, Booth?"

"A very good day. I loved it." Booth put his arm around his wife and pulled her close. "I'll remember this day for a long time."

"Really? We didn't do anything that special today, other than the pirate tour…"

"Yes, we did. We spent the day with our kids, having fun together. The pirate cruise we took this morning was fun, right? And it was great listening to Hank laugh as he ran away with my golf ball, and Christine had a lot of fun playing pirate and burying the treasure, even if she was nipped by that crab." He kissed the top of Brennan's head. "That's everything I could ever ask for in my life...being with my wife and kids while we play together all day long. Today we made memories I'm gonna treasure for the rest of my life. I love you, Bones…"

"I love you, too, Booth."


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: as a little girl, I loved the story of the ponies that live on Assateague and Chincoteague Islands in Maryland and Virginia, so I had to add them to this story._

* * *

It was a warm summer's day as Booth drove the SUV south down the Maryland coast toward Assateague Island. The family had a full day of activities planned for the excursion, and Christine was chattering excitedly about their upcoming adventures.

"Mommy, are we really gonna get to see the wild horses? That's so exciting. I love horses. I wish we could have a horse. Maybe we can buy one here. Daddy, did you know they have a horse auction here every year? Maybe we can buy a baby horse and then it can grow up and I can ride it. That would be so much fun. Can we get a horse, Mommy? Please?"

Waving a toy horse in the air, Hank squealed with delight. "Wanna horthy, Mama. Wanna horth."

"As I'm sure you realize, Christine, our neighborhood is not zoned for livestock nor large farm animals. Perhaps when we get home after our trip we can investigate the possibility of riding lessons. You might like dressage." Brennan turned to smile at her daughter. "However, horses are very expensive to maintain, so learning to ride a horse is expensive. I think you'll need to think of a way to earn some money if you'd like to have some lessons so that you can help pay for them. I'm afraid Hank will have to wait a few years before he can learn to ride."

Booth grinned at his son in the rear view mirror. "That's okay, isn't it, buddy? We don't want to learn sissy riding anyway. Me and you are gonna be cowboys, right, Hank?"

"Cowboys, Daddy. Wanna be cowboys." Hank laughed happily as his daddy sang _Happy Trails to You._ "Wanna horth, Daddy."

"Yeah, I know you want a horse, Tiger, but you heard Mommy. We don't have room for a horse, but we're gonna see a lot of horses today, okay?" Booth smiled as he turned to his wife. "So you know where we're going, right?"

"Yes. It's only a twenty minute drive to the visitor's center. We can look around there for a few minutes before we take the boat tour. After the tour we can look for shells and swim for a bit before we set up our camp." Brennan checked the GPS on her phone. "It should be up here on the right."

Because it was the middle of the week, there were fewer visitors than normal at the nature center. The woman at the information desk made sure that Christine and Hank had coloring books and postcards to help them remember their day at the Assateague National Seashore. "Here you go...here's an identification chart to tell you what kind of shells you might find.", she said, handing the paper to Brennan. "A lot of the shells might be broken, but occasionally you can find some nice ones. You might also find some crabs, so be careful."

Brennan chuckled as she pointed to Christine's bandage. "I think she's already learned that lesson."

After a few minutes of looking around, it was time to check in for their boat tour. The pontoon boat had a broad, flat deck with seating for several people. Hank and Christine were buckled into their life jackets, and it was time to go look for Assateague's wild horses.

The large boat cruised slowly through Chincoteague Bay, looking in all the nooks and crannies of the barrier island for places where the wild horses might be hiding. Suddenly the tour guide pointed to his left. "There they are…"

A group of seven horses were grazing peacefully, seeming to be unconcerned by the intrusion of the two legged animals staring at them. There were two foals in the group, frisking as they followed their mothers from one patch of grass to another.

Speaking softly, the guide explained the local legends about how the horses got to Assateague. One story was that they came from Spanish galleons that had been destroyed by the fickle Atlantic weather. The other legend was that English settlers hid their horses on the island to avoid paying taxes on them.

"Mommy, look at the spots on that one." Christine pointed to a large paint horse. "It looks like that horse is wearing a brown jacket."

"Those markings are quite unusual, aren't they?" Brennan chuckled as the horses became inquisitive. "I think the horses are going to come look at us like we're looking at them."

The group of horses ambled over to see their visitors but soon lost interest when they realized they weren't getting anything to eat.

"Mommy...I can almost touch that one…", Christine whispered.

"They are very close. Oh, look at Daddy...he wants to take a picture of you and the horse."

Hank, in the meantime, had decided that maybe he didn't like horses after all. Put off by the snorting, neighing, and head bobbing of the large animals, he clung to his mother's leg as he tried to hide from them. "Don't wanna horth, Mama."

"It's okay, Hank.", Brennan chuckled. "They won't hurt you. They're just curious about us like we are about them."

Still unsure, Hank peeked around his mother's leg, watching as a large horse sniffed at the boat's canopy. "Big horth, Mama. Is he hungry?"

"Maybe, Hank, but horses eat plant materials, not people. See? The captain is giving the horses some apples." Brennan smiled at her son. "Horses are nice, Hank."

The tour continued, and the visitors saw several herds of wild horses, as well as dolphins and a wide variety of shorebirds. Watching the scenery go by as the boat moved around the bay, Booth put his arm around his wife. "This was a great idea, Bones. Christine will get to see a lot of horses this way."

"It's peaceful being out on the boat, letting someone drive as we watch for animals and enjoy the scenery." Brennan leaned against her husband, smiling as their children laughed at the antics of the dolphins who came up to the water's surface. "Perhaps it's nice to let others be in charge for awhile."

"I'm gonna remember that, Bones." Booth grinned as he gave his wife a kiss. "Next time we have an argument, I'm gonna remind you that sometimes it's good for someone else to be in charge."

"It doesn't have to be a bad thing. There are other situations when I like to have someone else to be in charge." Squeezing his thigh, she gave him a flirty wink. "Too bad we're going to be sleeping in a tent with the children tonight. I guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow night to prove that axiom to be true."

Groaning softly, Booth wondered if he needed to change his plans for the sleeping arrangements that evening, but Hank had been thrilled with the idea of living in a tent for a day. "Okay, we'll wait until tomorrow night...but then we can take turns being in charge, okay?"

Oooooooooo

After a day of looking for horses and playing in the warm ocean water, it was time to settle down for the evening. Booth pulled the SUV up to the ranger station at the Assateague National Seashore campground area so he could pay the entry fee, and soon the family was driving around the grounds looking for a suitable site.

Pulling up to a level spot, Booth got out and looked around. "I think maybe this'll be a good place. It's not far from the outhouses, but it's up wind of them so we won't catch the smell." Grinning as he parked the car, he handed Christine the tag for the stake. "Go put this on that big piece of wood out there so everyone knows this is our spot, okay? Then you and I can unload the truck while Mommy and Hank make our sandwiches.

"Okay." After running to put the card on the stake, the little girl came back to the truck with smile on her face. "Can I help you put the tent stakes in, Daddy?"

"We'll see. They're kinda big, and I have to use a big hammer. I think it would be better if you hold the tent stakes and then hand them to me. That way they won't get lost." Seeing her disappointment, Booth gave his daughter a pat on the shoulder. "You'd have to keep track of the number to tell me if I got them all in the ground. It's a big job. Do you think you can do it?"

Christine stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at her father. "Of course. I'm seven years old, Daddy. I can count to a thousand if I need to."

"Well, I hope we don't have to hammer in that many stakes." He grinning at his miniature Bones, he handed her a long slender canvas bag. "See if you can drag this bag to that flat spot over there, and then we can start putting up the tent. I'll carry the cots over since they're heavier."

Hank watched the tent raising with great interest as he munched on some veggie chips. "Wanna sleep in the tent, Daddy."

"Me and Sissy have to put it up first, okay?" After studying the large canvas square, Booth held his hand over his eyes and squinted toward the ocean. "Okay. I want the doors of the tent to face east and west so the sea breezes can come through and cool the tent this evening..."

Brennan seemed to forget all about letting someone else be in charge as she watched her husband and daughter set up the tent. "I really think it makes more sense for the side of the tent to face the east. If there's too much wind, it might lift the tent off the stakes and blow it away."

Booth grimaced at his wife. "Who's the Ranger around here? I've lived in lots of tents over my Army career, and I know how to pitch a tent."

"And who's the one who understands aerodynamics, Booth? You've said yourself that you have only a rudimentary understanding of physics…" Brennan glared at her husband. "I want to make sure we have an adequate shelter to sleep in tonight."

"Just trust me, Bones, okay? I've spent a lot of time in tents, and I know what I'm doing."

"I believe you, Booth, but I'm not sure your time in Afghanistan has prepared you for the differential heating of the land and the ocean, which causes the formation of strong sea breezes after the sun sets and the water releases its heat which it has stored during the day."

"What? Do you really think I understand all that sciencey mumbo jumbo? I'm just going with my experience here, okay? Just trust me on this. I know what I'm doing when it comes to setting up a tent. So me and Christine are gonna handle this, and you and Hank can make us some sandwiches." Pulling one of the corners away from the tent, Booth turned to his daughter. "Hand me a stake, Sweetheart…"

Oooooooooo

It was late in the evening, and the children were tired. After playing in the sand around the tent and roasting marshmallows, it was time to go to sleep. Booth had set up a lantern inside the large six person tent, shining it on the four cots set up inside. "Okay, so Daddy will sleep on this end and Mommy will sleep on that end, and the kids will sleep in the middle so they don't go wandering off in the middle of the night without us knowing about it. Does anyone need to go to the bathroom first? Okay, good. I'm gonna pull back the tent flap and zip the fly on this side, and Mommy, you do that side...good. Alright, everyone...night-night...sleep tight."

"...and don't let the sand fleas bite…", Brennan giggled.

"Right. Okay, now, go to sleep. The sun will wake us up early tomorrow."

"Did you lock the car?"

Booth held up the keys and hit the button, making the SUV's horn beep. "Yeah. Good night."

Gentle breezes wafted through the zippered screen for the first few hours as the family slept, cooling the warm stuffy air inside the tent to a more comfortable temperature. As the night wore on, however, the winds became increasingly stronger. Soon the tent was pulling against its stakes as it was lifted up by the wind whipping through. Finally one of the stakes holding an outer corner of the tent popped out of the sand, causing the side of the tent to flap in the breeze.

Frustrated and not a little irritated by the fact that his wife might actually be right, Booth grabbed the lantern and the hammer so he could pound the stake back into the sand. He nodded with satisfaction as it held for a few minutes, only to have the stake on the opposite corner pull loose.

Cursing to himself, he pounded the rest of the stakes in thoroughly, making sure they would hold, only to have one of the poles supporting the top of the tent give way in the wind. He tried to grab the top of the tent to keep it from collapsing, when the other pole gave way. Picking the poles up, he tried to insert them into the flanges sewn into the top of the tent, but the top of the tent refused to hold still long enough for him to support it so he could stick the ends of the pole back into the sand.

"Booth...Booth, what are you doing? Why is the tent falling down?" Brennan sat up on her cot, holding the tent up with her arm. "Booth?"

Puffing out an aggravated sigh, Booth threw the tent poles aside. "Okay, everybody out of the tent." He pointed his key fob at the SUV, unlocking it. "We're sleeping in the car tonight."

Booth and Brennan helped Hank and Christine out of the tent and carried them to the truck. After reclining the seats, Booth rolled down the windows part way and the family managed to go back to sleep for a few hours.

After a breakfast of cereal early the next morning, Booth set the tent back up. "Okay, kids...you can play in the tent for a few hours before we go back to the beach house…"

Parking himself in a nearby folding chair, Booth crossed his arms over his chest and settled down to have a good pout.

"What's wrong, Booth?" Brennan pulled a chair up next to him. "The children are having fun playing in the tent. They seem to be enjoying it immensely."

"I know, but we would've had more fun if we'd gotten a good night's sleep in the tent first." Booth studied his fingernails. "I guess maybe I should listen to my wife once in awhile…"

"Perhaps." She patted his arm. "But, as I recall, I don't always listen to you very well, either." She laughed at his annoyed expression. "I didn't want to come to the beach house at first, but as it turns out we're having a wonderful time. I think maybe we're just so used to thinking for ourselves that we don't listen well to others."

"Yeah, you got that right." Booth chuckled as he shook his head. "What a pair…"

"Yes, we are, aren't we?" Brennan laughed as she bent over to kiss her husband. "Let's go back to the beach house. I need a nap."

Booth arched his eyebrow at Brennan. "I do, too...eventually…"


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: several readers have asked about the different activities mentioned in this story. These are fictionalized accounts of real activities that vacationers can do around the Maryland sea shore. To find out more, look up Ocean City, Maryland to find a large array of fun things to do in the area._

 _If you have time to leave a review, I'd appreciate it. Laura._

* * *

Groaning softly, Brennan tried to untangle herself from her bed sheets. She reluctantly opened a sleepy eye to look at the clock on her nightstand. Six AM...it was still early. She rolled over to put her arm around her husband, but he wasn't in bed next to her. "Booth?"

"Yeah?" Dressed in only his boxers, he came to stand in the bathroom doorway. "What's up?"

"What are you doing? I miss you. Come back to bed." She gave him a sultry smirk. "I'm quite lonely…"

"Okay, okay...I'll be there in a minute." He disappeared back into the bathroom.

Her curiosity aroused, Brennan quietly got out of bed a few minutes later and walked over to the bathroom door. Leaning against the frame where he couldn't see her, she watched in amusement as her husband flexed his muscles at his reflection in the mirror.

His face was the picture of concentration as he flexed first one pectoral and then the other. He then made the wrestler's pose, bringing his arms forward in a he man position to check the muscles of his arms, shoulders, and neck. Straightening, he inhaled deeply and held his breath as he checked his abs. Gingerly rubbing the skin where it had pulled around the ugly gash on the lower right side of his body, he winced slightly. "Owww...dammit…"

"What's wrong, Booth? Is there a change in the pain level of your wound? Perhaps it's infected…" Brennan walked into the bathroom to inspect her husband's abdomen.

"No, it's not infected! I'm fine!" Annoyed at the idea that his wife had been spying on his morning ritual, Booth turned away from the mirror. "I was just surprised that it still hurts a little bit over the scar. I mean, it's been over six weeks..."

"True, but there was a lot of damage done by the gunshot and the silver nitrate you packed into the wound. It was an extensive injury, and the repair was very complicated." Reaching down to examine his injury, she was surprised when he pulled away from her. Inhaling softly, she pursed her lips. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm sure, okay?" He quickly picked his tee shirt from the counter. "Hey, I think I'm gonna go fishing today…"

Hesitating slightly, Brennan reached out, putting her hand on his arm. "Booth...are you concerned about having a such large scar?" She stepped closer to him and smiled. "That's it, isn't it? You're concerned about how you look, aren't you? You're embarrassed..."

He ducked his head, unable to look his wife in the eyes. How did she know exactly how he felt? "No, I'm not…" He shook his head resolutely until he saw her gentle smile. "Well, yeah, maybe a little. I mean, I'm not a young guy anymore, and I'm beginning to look a little worse for wear...kinda rough around the edges, you know? I've got lots of dings and scars now, not to mention all the creases and wrinkles. I know that's normal, considering what all I've been through in my life, but still…"

She gently ran her finger over the bullet scar on his right shoulder before caressing his cheek. "Do you want to know what I see when I look at you, Booth? Besides my handsome husband, I mean." She laughed softly as he nodded. "Perhaps it's because I'm an author, but what I see when I look at the scars on your body is a story...the story of a man who cares deeply for others...a man who would do anything, including giving up his own life, to help someone who was in trouble. Several of your scars and wounds have come from times when you've tried to protect someone, or tried to save someone's life. Those scars show the world what a wonderful man you are, Booth. I'm sorry that your injuries have caused you so much pain, but I cherish the story they've left on your body, and I wouldn't change anything about them. You are truly a beautiful man in my eyes, Booth, and that will never change, no matter how many scars you acquire."

"Bones…", he whispered softly, pulling her close into an embrace and kissing the top of her head. "I love you so much…"

"I love you, too. Now, come here…" She took his hand and led him back to their bed. "I want you to come lie down for a few minutes. I want to hold your scars close to me…"

He grinned at his wife. "But I'm going fishing…"

"I'm sure there will still be fish in the ocean an hour from now…" She giggled as she wrapped her arms around him. "They can wait…"

Oooooooooo

Fortified by pancakes and his wife's loving attention, Booth went out to the garage to rummage through the fishing equipment. After finding just the right pole, a heavy knife, and some lures, he set them aside and walked back into the kitchen, where his wife was wiping the counter.

"Hey, Bones, I think I'm gonna go fish off a pier in Ocean City instead of surf casting from the beach out here. I think it'll be easier on me, and that way I can take Hank…"

"Are you sure you want to take Hank with you?" Brennan grimaced as she hung up her dishrag. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, Booth. Won't he be in the way of all the other people who are fishing? It'll be crowded, and he might be standing behind someone and get hit with a hook, or he might fall through the railing and into the water…"

"I checked the place out the other day when I made the last snack run, okay? They've got fencing up under the railing, so he can't fall through. If there are a lot of people on the pier, we won't stay too long, but it's the middle of the week, so I don't think it'll be that crowded. I just thought it would be nice for me and him to do something together, you know, sort of man to man, and then maybe you and Christine could do some of those seashell crafts you were talking about last night without the little brother getting in the way and making a mess of your projects. You bought a lot of project materials at the store the other day, so you might as well use them." He leaned over to kiss her. "We'll only be gone a couple of hours. If it's too crowded on the pier, we can go play in the water for a while…hey, where are the kids, anyway?"

"They're watching cartoons. This is the first time since we've been here that they've had the television on. However, I'm sure if you suggest an outing, Hank will be delighted."

"Maybe I should take Christine, too. Do you think her feelings will be hurt if I don't ask her to come?" Booth poured himself a cup of coffee. "I think she'd like fishing...at least seeing all the different kinds of fish…"

"Perhaps you can take her some other time. I feel sure that if I tell her we're going to do crafts she'll be agreeable to staying home with me. She's quite creative, you know."

"True." Booth quickly finished his coffee and rinsed out his cup. "So we're going to the Dancing in the Sand party in town tonight, right?" He smirked at his wife. "I love the way you dance…"

Brennan put his cup in the dishwasher and then pulled her husband close. "I know you do, but perhaps we'll need to be discreet since we'll be in public. We can enjoy a more personal dance later, alright?"

Booth exhaled slowly, wondering if he could wait that long. "Sure thing, Bones." Glancing at his watch, he realized he was running out of time if he wanted to enjoy his fishing trip, so he went to find his kids in the family room. "Hey, Hank...go get your shoes on. Me and you are going fishing, Buddy."

"Fith? I wanna fith, Daddy…" Hank beamed at his father as he jumped up and down on the sofa. "Wanna catch a fith…gonna get my toos..." The little boy quickly ran to his bedroom to find his shoes.

"Can I go, too, Daddy?" Christine stuck out her bottom lip a bit as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Why does Hank get to have all the fun?"

Booth sat on the couch next to his disappointed daughter. "Well, Sweetheart, here's the thing. It may be really crowded on the pier, and I'll need to watch Hank real close, so I wouldn't have time to help you with baiting your hook or to help you with your pole like I should." He tickled her a little bit as he continued. "But I think you and Mommy are gonna make some pretty things with all those sea shells you've collected, okay? I don't think Mommy likes fishing all that much, and I don't want to leave her here all by herself. She might get lonely, and we don't want that, do we?" Christine slowly shook her head. "Hey, you know what? Me and you can go fishing tomorrow if you still want to go, okay? And then it'll be Hank's turn to take care of Mommy."

"Promise?" Christine smiled up at her father. "We can go fishing tomorrow?"

"Well, I promise we'll go if the weather is nice, okay? If not tomorrow, then we'll go the next day." He pulled his little girl onto his lap, rubbing her arms gently. "I bet you're gonna have lots of fun with your crafts, Sweetheart. Mommy knows how to make all sorts of cool stuff, and she bought a ton of paint and glitter." He chuckled softly as he imagined how much glitter would be on the floor when he and Hank got back from fishing.

"Daddy! Go fith! Wanna go fith!" Hank came charging into the room with his shoes on the wrong feet, waving his hands in excitement. "C'mon, Daddy…wanna go."

"Just a minute, Buddy. Let's tell Mommy 'bye…" After fixing Hank's shoes, he took the little boy's hand and they walked into the kitchen. "Well, Bones, the men are gonna go try to catch us some dinner. See ya later."

"Have a good time. Make sure Hank wears plenty of sunscreen, Booth…"

"We'll be fine…" He grabbed their tackle, an empty cooler, and the tube of sunscreen, and soon they were off on an angling adventure.

Oooooooooo

As Booth had suspected, Northside Park wasn't very crowded in the middle of a Wednesday morning. He and his son walked through the park until they found the pier jutting out into the bay. "Okay, Hank, listen up. You have to be careful, alright? You can't go running off, because I might not see where you go. You gotta stand right here by me. Anyway, you're gonna wanna see the fish, right?" The little boy's head bobbed up and down enthusiastically.

"Good. Okay, c'mere." Picking up Hank, Booth put him up on a bench next to a bait station. "First, we're gonna make some bait." He pulled the away the newspaper wrapped around a fat mullet. "Bluefish like to eat this…"

"Eat that fith, Daddy?" Hank pointed to the bait. "I hungry."

"Yeah, I'm not surprised to hear that you're hungry. Here…" Booth handed him a small package of crackers. "We're not gonna eat this fish, Buddy. We're gonna use this fish to catch a bigger fish, okay?"

"Okay." Hank watched with interest as his father cleaned the mullet and cut it into 'bite' sized pieces. "What dat?" He pointed to some of the animal's internal organs. "Yucky."

Booth laughed out loud as he cleared the offal away. "I'm glad to hear you say that, son. I think me and you are gonna have to be the normal ones in our family, right?" Gathering up the bait and tackle, Booth smiled at Hank. "So now we're gonna go over here and throw the bait in the water…"

They walked out as far as they could on the pier, standing apart from the other fishermen so that Hank wouldn't bother them with his constant chatter. "Bird, Daddy! White bird…", the child squealed.

"That's a bird alright. Okay, now watch. I'm gonna put a piece of the bait fish on this hook, but I have to be careful, see, because the hook is sharp." Threading the bait on the barb, Booth held it up for Hank to look at. "Then we're gonna throw this hook out in the water and see if there's any hungry fish out there…"

"I hungry, Daddy. Eat fith?" Hank held up a piece of bait to show his father. "I wanna eat fith…"

"NO! Don't eat that!" Holding his rod in one hand, Booth tried to corral his mischievous son with the other. "Listen, Buddy, you gotta be careful. You can't eat everything you find lying around on the ground, okay?" Taking the bait from Hank, Booth put it up on the pier's railing where his son couldn't reach it as he muttered to himself. "Maybe Bones was right...maybe he's too young for this…"

"Fith, Daddy! Look!" Hank laughed as he pointed at some tiny silver fish congregating in the shallow water under the pier. "Catch the fith, Daddy!"

"Well, we need bigger ones than that, son...whoa! Daddy got a bite!" Grimacing as he yanked hard on the pole, Booth cranked the reel as fast as he could, tugging and pulling until he had his prize up over the railing. "Well, lookee there, Buddy! We got one!" Grinning happily, Booth took the hook out of the fish's mouth and put it in the cooler. "I think that's a keeper, too. Whadd'ya say, Hank? Wanna catch another one?"

"Yay! Catch another fith, Daddy!", Hank squealed.

Casting out again, it wasn't long until Booth had another bite. "Hank! Come help me pull this fish in!"

Putting Hank between himself and the railing, he showed the boy how to wrap his small hand on the reel's crank. "You turn that thing, and I'll pull." After some sharp tugs and a lot of 'help' from Hank, another bluefish was on the pier. "Good job! You're a good fisherman!"

Chattering excitedly, Hank bent down to stroke the squirming fish as it flopped around on the wooden decking. "My fith, Daddy. Wanna eat my fith."

"Maybe we can have him for dinner tonight or tomorrow. Hey, wanna try to catch another one?"

"Yeah, Daddy! More fith!"

After another hour, they had a total of five fish and many more great memories. "Okay, Hank, I think we've got enough fish for now. We gotta leave some for other folks to catch. Let's go get some lunch, and then we'll take our fish home to Mommy!"

Oooooooooo

"The anglers have returned!", Booth announced proudly as he dragged in the cooler loaded with their catch. "And we bring food!"

"We catched lotsa fith, Mama!" Hank laughed happily as he pulled on the cooler's lid. "Look!"

"Oh, my!" Pretending to be surprised at the sight of five large fish, she threw up her hands. "What will we do with all that meat?"

Booth rolled his eyes at his wife. "We'll have it for dinner a couple of nights, or we can freeze it and take it home. I mean, I know you won't eat it, but after I use my super secret recipe to cook it, the kids will love it." He held up a couple of fish and had Hank come to stand in front of him. "Hey, take our picture…"

Brennan smiled as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Good idea! Then we'll have something to put in our new frames!" She gestured toward the dining room table. "Look what we made while you were gone."

Three picture frames, encrusted with shells and what seemed to be several pounds of silver glitter, sat on several sheets of newspaper as they dried. "We made one for me, one for you, and one for Grandpa Max, right, Christine?"

"That's right. This one's yours, Daddy…" Christine pointed to a large rectangular frame that had a large shell in each corner and many smaller bits of shell along the sides. "Do you like it?"

"I love it." He hugged his giggling daughter as he admired it. "I can't wait to put it in my office. Thanks, Sweetheart."

"You're welcome, Daddy." She gave him a big kiss on the cheek. "You were right. I had a lot of fun doing crafts with Mommy."

"Oh." Booth pretended to pout a bit. "Does that mean that you don't wanna go fishing with me tomorrow? The bluefish are biting, and I want to catch some more."

"Bluefish? That's funny, Daddy. Is it like my book _One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish?"_

"Well, I don't know about that. What do you think, Mommy?" Booth winked at his wife as she tried to clean up some glitter.

"I think we're going to have more fish than we know what to do with." Brennan stood with her hands on her hips. "I think the bluefish is different than the one in your book, Christine, but you can investigate that idea with your Daddy tomorrow on your fishing trip." Picking up a drowsy Hank, she tousled Christine's hair. "But for now, I'm saying it's resting time. We're going to be out late tonight, and I think we all need a nap, right, Daddy?"

Booth grinned as he twitched an eyebrow at his wife. "Whatever you say, Mommy. Whatever you say…"


	7. Chapter 7

Booth wore a contented smile as he settled back into his beach chair to watch his children play by the water's edge. He and his family had enjoyed two blissful weeks at the beach house...two glorious weeks of uninterrupted fun...two wonderful weeks of simply enjoying their time, just the four of them alone, being together without worrying about what terrible event might happen to spoil their day. He knew he'd cherish the memories of this vacation for the rest of his life. _If only Parker could've come...but he's busy with school. Maybe we're all too busy..._

Sighing as his mind drifted back to what had occurred over the last few months, Booth realized once again how important this vacation had been for his family's emotional health. After all the trauma and uncertainty that had accompanied Jared's death and his own injury, they'd all needed time to heal. He knew Hank probably wouldn't remember anything about what had happened, but Booth was worried about the toll those events had taken on Christine's sense of security. She'd been a resilient child in the past, but as she'd become older, she was more aware of the intense things that were often a part of her parents' lives, and her father wondered how she'd react if he was ever wounded again. Would she be plagued with the nightmares that had so often intruded on her parents' slumber? Would she have trouble trusting people as she grew up? Would she always be able to bounce back as easily as it seemed she had this time?

But those were questions for another day. Digging his toes into the warm sand, he made a conscious effort to chase away his gloomy thoughts as he soaked up the morning sunshine. He was determined to be happy and relaxed. This weekend they'd be having company, and he wanted to enjoy the quiet while he could, before their guests arrived later that day.

He'd been annoyed when he first found out that his wife had invited Angela and Hodgins to visit for a weekend during their month long stay, but, after all, it was Bones' vacation, too. Considering that she hadn't wanted to come to the beach at all, he figured having a group of people come to stay at the house for a couple of days in the middle of the month was a great compromise on his part. _What was it Pops always said? 'Happy wife...happy life.'_ And the older man's advice had been correct. If his Bones was happy, he was, too.

Glancing at his phone, he was surprised to see how late it was. "Christine! Hank! Come on." He folded up his chair and gathered up their belongings. "We need to go back to the house and help Mommy get things straightened up. Uncle Jack, Aunt Angela, and Michael-Vincent are coming today, and I think Uncle Aubrey may be coming, too. We don't want to have a messy house when they get here." Laughing when he saw his kids' sad faces as they slowly trudged up the shoreline, he handed each of them a towel. "I'm sure we'll have time to play in the water later this afternoon. Come on...last one to the house is a dirty monkey…"

Squealing loudly as her daddy and Hank tried to catch her, Christine quickly raced ahead, turning to grin at them after beating them to the veranda that stretched across the back of the house. "I win! That means I don't hafta eat my spinach at dinner tonight, right? Mommy says I need to eat it to be strong, but I'm already strong if I can beat you, Daddy."

"No fair...I had to help Hank. He can't run very fast." Booth pretended to pout a little bit as his daughter giggled merrily. "Anyway, I guess you can ask Mommy about skipping the spinach, but I think we both know what she's gonna say, right?"

"I guess so." Christine's shoulders drooped a bit as she thought things through. "Daddy? Is Mommy always right about everything?"

"As far as I know, she is." Brushing the sand from her feet and legs, Booth grinned at his little girl. "At least about most of the important things, anyway. I mean, she knows about what kind of food we should eat and how much sleep we need, but she never seems to remember who Luc Robitaille is." Seeing Christine's blank expression, he tousled her hair. "He was a hockey player...one of the greatest of all time. I'll tell you all about him some time, okay? It's never too soon to learn about hockey."

"Dada, I hungry." Hank stood on his tiptoes trying to reach the doorknob, whining in frustration. "Hungry, Daddy!"

"Okay, little man. Hang on. Let's go see what Mama's made for our lunch today."

Oooooooooo

After having lunch, a fussy Hank was put down for a nap. Christine insisted that she wasn't sleepy, but a few minutes later she was dozing off over one of her books. After carrying her to her room, Booth came back to the kitchen and gave his wife a tender caress as he quirked an eyebrow at her. "Maybe we should take a nap, too, Bones. We might not have a chance later, when everyone's here and we have to entertain our company."

"That does sound like a good idea. I'm sure I'd find you quite entertaining, Booth, but I just got a text from Ms. Warren. She estimates that she and Agent Aubrey will be here in approximately 45 minutes...an hour at the most." Brennan kissed her husband's cheek and smiled. "It seems we don't have time for a nap."

"Ms. Warren is coming with Aubrey?" Booth huffed out an aggravated sigh. "Great…just great." Seeing his wife's grimace, Booth quickly changed his demeanor. "Look, I like her just fine, but being around her makes Aubrey act like a big goofy kid, you know? I mean, even worse than he normally does. He shows off for her, and he follows her around like a puppy. I can only handle that goofball stuff for so long…and anyway, the guy eats constantly. I don't know how we'll feed him, because when he's in goofball mode, it's even worse. I'd better go to the store and stock up on snacks..."

"You're being quite silly, Booth. They'll only be here for a few days and Ms. Warren mentioned that they were bringing their own provisions…" Brennan shrugged as she turned away from her husband. "I seem to remember another Special Agent who used to act like a big goofy kid, especially when it came to things like stadium seats and winning hockey games. And I'm sure you've never shown off for me, except perhaps at the gun range..."

"Whatever." Ignoring his wife's teasing, Booth picked out an apple from a bowl on the counter and took a bite. "Hey, since they're not married, where's Ms. Warren gonna sleep? I guess she can sleep in one of the bunkbeds in Christine's room. Christine would love that."

"Why can't they just share a room? They're both consenting adults…" Brennan rolled her eyes at her husband's disapproving scowl as she loaded the dishwasher. "After all, we lived together without being married for quite awhile…"

"That's different." Exasperated, Booth glared at his wife's chuckle. "Christine was a baby then. Now she's old enough to be curious about what they'll be doing if they share a room together, and you know where that leads…" Booth shook his head as he thought about all the embarrassing questions his daughter might ask.

"Yes, I do know where that leads, Booth…" Brennan drew him close for a kiss. "I believe that sort of curiosity is why we have two children together. However, I'm sure Christine will be too busy to notice what those two are doing." Glancing at the clock on the microwave, she giggled. "We may not have time for a nap, but I'd say we have approximately 30 minutes before they get here…are you efficient enough to make good use of our time?"

Booth grinned broadly. "Challenge accepted." He pulled her into a tight embrace. "No more talking. We're burning daylight…"

Ooooooooo

Forty minutes later, Booth and Brennan were readjusting their clothing when they heard Aubrey's SUV pull up to the house. They shared another quick kiss before they stepped out onto the front porch to greet their visitors.

"Hey, Booth. Nice place…" Aubrey paused for a few seconds as the car doors slammed behind him. "You're looking pretty good…all rested up..."

"Thanks. I'm feeling a lot better...almost back to normal. I'll probably be back at work shortly."

Brennan walked around to the passenger side of the truck to greet Jessica, but she stopped in surprise. "Dad? What are you doing here? I thought you were in Arizona."

"Hi, Honey." Slamming the back door of the car, Max smiled as he gave his daughter a hug. "I got back from Phoenix earlier than I expected. I dropped by the house to see you, and this kid…" Max grunted as he pointed at Aubrey. "...he was there with that cute little redhead, and he said they were coming here to visit you at the beach house, so I decided to hitch a ride and crash the party." He winked at Jessica as she handed him a duffel bag. "Thanks, Sugar." Laughing at Aubrey's grimace, Max shrugged as he walked toward the house. "If you don't want me to flirt with her, marry her…"

"Like that's ever stopped him before.", Booth muttered to his colleague. "Come on, Aubrey. I'll show you where to put your stuff…"

Climbing the stairs, Booth opened the door to one of the upstairs bedrooms. "Bones said she thinks you and Jessica can share a room responsibly, but just remember...we've got little kids in the house, so you gotta keep the noise down."

Aubrey turned bright red as he put his bag on the bed. "Jesus, Booth...we're not there yet, okay? I don't think that's necessary...us sharing a room...I mean, it's not like that...not now, anyway..." Looking around the room, he tried to change the subject. "That's a nice view of the ocean…"

"Hmph. Whatever you say, Aubrey." As he started to leave, Booth turned back to his friend. "There's some cold ones in the fridge. Feel free to have one if you want. I'll be on the back porch relaxing."

In the meantime, Jessica had also vetoed the idea of sharing a room with Aubrey. "Really, Dr. B, I think it'll be fun to share a room with Christine. It'll be like a slumber party." Turning away to hide her embarrassment, she set her bag on the lower bunk bed. "Thanks for inviting me…"

Smirking as she left the young woman to change into her swimsuit, Brennan nodded. "Whatever you say, Ms. Warren. I'm glad you were available to make the trip, and I'm sure Aubrey is pleased as well."

After making sure that Jessica was comfortably settled, Brennan went to find her father. "I'm glad you decided to come see us, Dad. I'm sorry we didn't invite you to begin with, but your initial plans were to spend the summer in Phoenix."

"Don't worry about it, Tempe. I think it's great that you've been able to spend some time alone with your husband and kids. After everything that's happened, you needed it." Max patted her hand as he saw her tentative smile. "Are things going well? Booth's better?"

"He seems to have recovered completely as far as his physical injuries are concerned, but I think the loss of Jared will bother him for a very long time, even though there was absolutely nothing he could've done to prevent it." Brushing a tear away, she shook her head. "It wasn't his fault. Jared put himself in an untenable position…but Booth still feels as if he did something wrong, since he couldn't save his brother's life."

"Honey, you should know that Booth is always gonna feel responsible for the safety of the people in his family. It doesn't make any difference if it was something he could've prevented or not. Jared was his little brother, and Booth took that responsibility to heart." Giving his daughter a tender squeeze, Max smiled. "That's one reason I so was happy when I knew you two were finally together. He'll always do everything he can to keep you and my grandkids safe. I want a man like that to take care of you when I'm not around. I'm not sure I'd feel safe trusting your care to anyone else.

"I can take care of myself and my children, Dad…", Brennan began impatiently. "I'm perfectly capable of standing my ground. I certainly don't need to rely on a man for that..."

"I know, but isn't it nice to know that you don't have to do it all by yourself? Doesn't it make you feel safer?" Max studied his daughter's expression. "He loves you so much, Tempe, and I'm so glad you get to have him in your life. When you find someone you can love and trust, you need to hang on to them."

"You're right...I am glad I have him in my life, Dad." Clearing her throat softly, she decided to change the subject. "There are three bedrooms upstairs. Aubrey is using one, and Hodgins and Angela will be using another. Do you want to use one of those? Or, if you'd rather, we can move Hank's crib into our room and you can sleep in his room downstairs."

"Nah...Just leave Hank where he is, and I'll sleep in the room with him and Angela's kid. I'm sure you and your hubby could use some more alone time."

"Dad!" Brennan rolled her eyes, chuckling as she picked up her father's suitcase. "Thank you. I appreciate that, and I'm sure Booth will, too." She gave him a hug as they walked toward Hank's room. "I'm really glad you came…"

Oooooooooo

An hour later Aubrey, wearing his swim trunks and an old tee shirt, joined Booth on the back porch. As he sat down, he handed Booth a beer. "This is great. Are you sure you're gonna be able to tear yourself away from here and come back to work?"

"Yeah, I think so...but it'll be hard." Booth laughed as he watched Christine and Jessica splashing in the water. "Of course, that'll put me back in charge again, I guess, and you'll have to move out of my office…"

"I have my own office, thank you very much!" Taking a sip of his beer, Aubrey chuckled softly. "It'll be good to have you in the office again so you can get everybody whipped back into shape…" He lost his train of thought as he noticed how cute Jessica looked in her lime green bikini as she pranced in the water. "Um...yeah. Whipped…"

"Definitely whipped." Booth grinned slyly at his friend. "Anyway, it'll be three weeks or so before I'm back, so you'd better warn everybody next week that they need to get their shit together before I show up."

"Yeah." Watching Jessica chase the frisbee that Christine had tried to throw, Aubrey found his mind to be a complete blank. He knew he needed to say something, but he was unsure what that should be, so he tried a new subject. "Uh, so...Max…."

"Yeah? What about him?" Booth took a drink from his bottle, waiting to hear what Aubrey had to say.

"He's really a murderer? He seems like such a nice old guy…" Aubrey shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe it."

"Well, in the eyes of the law, he's not guilty of murder. That was the verdict the jury handed down. He was acquitted." Sighing as he looked out over the water in the distance, Booth explained what had happened. "There was a little bit of subterfuge involved. Bones had Max's lawyer make it seem like she might've had time to kill Deputy Director Kirby, and that created the reasonable doubt about Max being the perp, and he got off. However, that doesn't matter. We all know who took out Kirby. Max did it to protect his kids. Kirby was a nasty son of a bitch, gunning for Bones and her brother because Max had something he wanted, so Max ended him. Nobody better threaten Max Keenan's kids. They won't live to tell about it."

Aubrey glanced at his friend and smiled. Booth thought he was describing his father-in-law, but he was describing himself, too. Anybody who threatened Booth's family would be in bad shape.

As he contemplated the similarities between Booth and Max, Aubrey found himself nodding off in the warm sunshine. Finally asleep, his dream of chasing Jessica down a sunny beach in the Caribbean was interrupted by a happy barrage of noise as Christine ran up to the back porch.

"Daddy! Daddy! Mommy says you and Uncle Aubrey have to come. Uncle Jack and Aunt Angela are here, and they brought a s'prise!"

Groaning slightly as he pushed himself out of his chair, Booth slowly ambled to the front of the house, unsure of what Hodgins could've brought with him that was worth getting that excited about. He could hear the excited chatter as he rounded the corner of the house. There was something familiar about the man's voice that he heard above the rest of the conversation...something very familiar.

Seeing everyone milling around Angela's van, Booth's curiosity was aroused. "Bones? What's going on?"

"We have company, Booth. Look…" She stepped aside to reveal the surprise.

"Hey, Dad…"

"Parker?" Smiling broadly, Booth rushed to engulf his oldest child in his arms. "Oh, my God!" Turning to his wife, Booth beamed. "Wow! This is great! You managed to surprise me again, Bones!"

"I did? Good." Brennan gave Angela a hug. "Angela offered to bring Parker to the beach house after he arrived from London. That's why she and Hodgins had to come for the weekend…"

Laughing happily, Booth shook Hodgins' hand. "Man, you can come to spend vacation time with me anytime you want." Standing back to look at his son, he shook his head. "Look how tall you are...you're practically full grown. Wow...I'm so glad to see you, Buddy!"

Still suffering slightly from jet lag, Parker offered up a lopsided grin. "Me, too, Dad. Me, too."

Brennan clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Alright...Dinner will be in approximately 3 hours, so if you want to swim for a while before we eat, I suggest you change into your bathing attire quickly."

Hodgins picked up their suitcases and followed Angela and Michael-Vincent into the house. Brennan moved to follow them in, but her husband took her hand and pulled her close for a kiss.

"Thanks for getting Parker here for our month at the beach, Bones. I really appreciate it. I miss spending vacations with him, you know?"

"I know. He's going to stay until Wednesday morning. You can drive him back to the airport and then go to your check up with the doctor later that afternoon. I've already changed your appointment."

Smiling as they entered the house, Booth nodded. "Just like you to think of everything. That must be one of the reasons why I love you so much."

"I just wanted to make sure you got to spend the maximum amount of time with Parker." Seeing her husband roll his eyes, Brennan laughed. "I love you, Booth. Now...go spend time with your son!"

* * *

 _Thanks for reading. If you have time to leave a review, I'd appreciate it._


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: this chapter isn't as lighthearted as some of the others, but Booth and Parker need to discuss some things. If you have time to review, I'd appreciate it. Laura_

* * *

The early morning air was cool as Parker sat on the house's large back veranda, watching the seabirds that dove into the bay as they hunted for their breakfast. Yawning and stretching as he struggled to get his tall frame comfortable in the chair, he made a valiant effort to shake off his jet lag. He'd only been able to squeeze in a short vacation in the States between the summer sessions at school, and he didn't want to sleep the whole time he was visiting his father and stepmother.

 _I had to come, though...I had to see Dad for myself. I had to make sure he was okay._ It still brought a tear to his eye as he remembered his mother coming into his bedroom in the early hours of a morning a couple of months ago to shake him awake.

"Parker...they've found your father.", Rebecca had whispered to him in a shaky voice. "He's alive, but he's been gravely injured. Dr. Brennan isn't sure about how things are going to turn out...she says his prognosis is uncertain." His mother had tried to be strong, but he'd heard her tears as she held his hand in the darkness.

Puffing out a shuddering sigh, Parker remembered his shock and disbelief. Even though he knew better, he'd always viewed his father as practically indestructible. _I knew he'd make it, right? How could I doubt my Dad?_ But it had been touch and go for a few days. What a relief it had been for Parker when Bones had called him to say that his father had improved a great deal and would be going home the next morning.

And so it was that when the opportunity for a summer visit presented itself, his mother had none of her usual excuses to offer as to why he couldn't go see his father in the States. In fact, it seemed that she was more than happy to comply. That unusual amount of compliance on her part had made Parker suspicious, wondering if his father was worse off than anyone cared to admit. He rarely saw his mother this agreeable to any of his father's requests, but he figured that Bones had presented a logical argument that his mother couldn't ignore. _They must've known I'd want to see Dad after everything that's happened..._

Having prepared himself for the worst case scenario, Parker was somewhat surprised to find his father in relatively good health, especially considering all that had happened to him. Granted, he was still slightly stooped because of some residual pain from his wound, and he'd lost enough weight to look almost gaunt, but his actual injury was almost completely healed. Closing his eyes, Parker breathed a silent prayer. _Thank God, Dad's gonna be okay…_

"Hey, buddy. How about a cup of coffee?" Booth walked out onto the porch carrying some steaming mugs. "I know you Brits usually drink tea, but…"

"Geez, Dad...you make it sound like I haven't been home in years." The boy laughed as he took a mug and sipped the hot brew. "This is pretty good. I'm not sure anyone in London actually knows how to make a decent cup of coffee."

Sitting down next to his son, Booth nodded. "Yeah, I remember. Me and Bones visited there several years ago when she was speaking about forensics stuff at Oxford, and all they had at my hotel was hot tea." He chuckled as he winked at his son. "Pretty nasty shit, if you ask me."

"Yeah...it can be." Parker took another sip before glancing at his father, hesitating as he wondered how to explain what was on his mind. "Um...Dad? Mom was really worried about you when all that stuff happened to you, you know? When Bones called and said you were missing...it scared her a lot." He shook his head as he tried to forget what had happened that day. "She cried all night after she told me what was going on." Blinking back tears, he continued softly. "I think she even prayed…"

Booth sighed heavily as he stared into his coffee mug. Parker's unspoken accusation had come through loud and clear. _How could you do that to my mother? Scare her like that? Make her worry? Your job is too dangerous..._ He'd had that same argument with Rebecca several times when Parker was a small boy, and now he'd have to explain those things to his son as well. "I'm sorry I upset her, and I'm sorry I upset you, too, Parker. I know there's not anything I can say to take those bad memories away. All I can tell you is that at the time, I felt like it was something I had to do."

"You mean helping Uncle Jared?" Parker turned to face his dad. "Why did he get involved with that mess anyway? I mean, he must've known that crazy plan was too dangerous and probably wouldn't work."

"He probably did know, but knowing something was risky or even dangerous never stopped Jared from doing something he wanted to do." Booth stared out over the bay. "He was always that way…that was how he lived his whole life."

Realizing that he might have said the wrong thing, Parker quickly interrupted. "I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to say bad things about your brother…I guess I was being selfish. I know you miss him."

"Nah, don't worry about it." Settling back in his chair, Booth looked over at his son. "I'm just sorry you didn't get to know your Uncle Jared better. He wasn't really a bad guy, and he could be a lot of fun when he wasn't drinking too much. I think it was more that he was dealt a bad hand in life, you know? I mean, I know I've told you why we had to move in with Pops, since my father was abusive, but I'm not sure Jared really ever understood what had happened with that situation. I tried to tell him why we had to move away from Dad, but I was just a kid myself. Pops could never really bring himself to explain it to Jared without breaking down, and he was too proud to cry in front of us." Nodding at Parker's sad expression, Booth's expression was grim. "Anyway, I think in some ways, Jared has a form of PTSD, just like our dad did."

"Really?" Parker was obviously surprised. "I thought that was something people got from being soldiers in a war."

"It's true that being a soldier in combat can trigger it, but since I was laid up a long time when I was injured and I couldn't work, I did some reading up on it. Any sort of traumatic event can leave emotional scars on a person, and they can act out in lots of different ways because of those scars. I think us having to leave our house suddenly and move in with Pops and Nana might have been enough to trigger it for Jared."

"So why didn't Pops take Uncle Jared for counseling?" Parker grimaced in frustration as he thought over the situation. "That might have helped him deal with stuff…"

"Well, people in Pops' generation didn't like to talk about stuff like that in public. Pops always said we didn't need to tell other people about our family troubles….that we shouldn't air our dirty laundry in public." Sighing, Booth shook his head. "You have to remember that Pops blamed himself for how my dad turned out, even though it wasn't his fault. He thought taking Jared somewhere so he could talk to somebody else about how he was feeling would've just made things worse. I don't know...maybe Pops was right. Jared never listened to anybody anyway."

Parker could hear the sadness in his father's voice. "But you tried to talk to Uncle Jared about things, didn't you? You tried to help him."

"Yeah, I did...several times. I tried to get him to quit drinking...offered to pay for his rehab..but he never thought anything was really wrong with how much he drank. He kept brushing me off, telling me to mind my own damn business...that he was doing fine without me, and he didn't need me to take care of him...that is, until he wanted something...like a loan, or help with some sort of crazy project." Booth took another sip of his coffee. "Pops always said that Jared was just like my old man...always restless...always pushing the envelope...always the daredevil, and then, when he was drinking heavily, he'd become downright reckless and foolhardy, thinking he could rule the world. That's why Pops always made sure I knew that I was responsible for my little brother, because he knew that Jared would always need someone sensible to look out for him when he went off on some sort of harebrained scheme. As it turned out, Pops was right, but, in the end, unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to save Jared. He was too deep into that cockeyed plan he'd cooked up with his buddies, and I couldn't pull him out of trouble this time."

"It wasn't your fault, Dad.", Parker said quietly. "You did the best you could…"

"I know...but that doesn't really make me feel better." Wiping away a tear, Booth closed his eyes as he sank back into his chair. "Jared's still dead…"

Father and son sat in silence for a few minutes, each contemplating the horrible turn Jared's life had taken over the last few months. Finally, Parker cleared his throat softly as he ran his fingers around the rim of his mug.

"I'm so sorry he's gone, Dad, but I'm also real glad that I still have you. I don't know what I'd do…if something happened..." Brushing away some tears, Parker shrugged slightly, embarrassed to be crying like a small boy in front of his father. "I mean, when Mom told me they didn't know if you were gonna make it, I just couldn't imagine my life without you in it. I just didn't know how to handle it...I was so scared..."

"I know, Parker. I know." Booth reached over to pat his son's shoulder. "But I'm fine now, so you don't have to worry about that any more, right?" Seeing Parker wipe more tears away, he smiled gently. "I know you were scared over losing me, buddy, and I don't take that lightly. I'm not gonna take anymore chances like that, okay? I've got too much to live for. I've got you, and Bones, and Christine and Hank, and all my friends and my future grandkids...I'm gonna hang around for a long time, alright?"

"Yeah, alright.", Parker sniffled as he nodded his head. "As long as you're careful…"

"Good. Now, how's about me and you whip up some pancakes for everybody's breakfast? And then we can go down to the beach and break out the jet ski. I've been wanting to use that baby since I got here, but we've been busy with all the tourist stuff everybody else wanted to do, you know? Anyway, Bones isn't too enthused about the younger kids being on it…" Booth chuckled as he stood up to walk back into the house. "...but I really think the kids will be fine. She's the one who doesn't want to ride it, right?"

"Could be." Parker rose from his chair and followed his father into the house, thankful to have the time to spend with him.

Oooooooooo

A houseful of people filled the kitchen, packing away pancakes as fast as Booth could pull them from the griddle. Aubrey was clearly in the lead, but Hodgins and Max were giving the younger man a run for his money.

Angela leaned over to whisper to Jessica. "I think we're going to have to roll those men out of the house by the time we're done here. Hodgins is so competitive that he can't stand it if someone else wins any sort of contest."

"Aubrey's not competing...that's just how much he eats." Jessica giggled as Aubrey poured syrup on another big stack of the flapjacks. "I do think he'd do well as a competitive eater, but he says he too lazy to train for it. He prefers to maintain his amateur status."

Brennan winked at both of them. "I actually believe that Booth is the most competitive man here. He's determined to make enough pancakes to feed everybody...even Aubrey."

The women all laughed as they watched the men finish up breakfast. As Booth began to stack up the plates, Brennan and Angela washed the children's sticky hands and faces.

"Okay, let's get this kitchen cleaned up so we can go play at the beach." Booth and Parker began filling the dishwasher as Hodgins put away the few leftovers they had after Aubrey was finished eating. "I want to run that jet ski for the rest of the day."

Oooooooooo

Family and friends adjourned to the community's private beach, laughing and talking as they laid out their towels and set up their chairs. After staking out his spot, Max announced that he was ready to take a spin on the jet ski. "I've been looking forward to that since Tempe bought it for you last Christmas, Booth. C'mon...let's go."

"Dad…", Brennan began, "...aren't you too old to be riding that thing? What if you fall off?"

"Hell, Tempe...I'm probably old enough to know better, but that's what makes it fun, right? Besides, I'm gonna be wearing a life vest, and if I do fall in, Booth can save me. He's a big, burly guy. He can pull me out of the water…" Laughing as he walked down to the water's edge, Max pointed at the shiny new toy. "Let's go, Booth…"

As the two men got the jet ski ready to go, Angela and Jessica entertained the children by helping them build a sand castle. Aubrey and Hodgins had begun a lively game of one on one beach volleyball. Everyone was enjoying the warm summer's day at the beach.

Parker shyly approached the spot where Brennan was sitting under a large beach umbrella. "Hey, Bones...do you mind if I join you?"

"Of course not, Parker." She patted the spot next to her. "Have a seat." Giving him a sidelong glance, she smiled to herself, knowing what he wanted to discuss. "I suppose you're wondering how your father is really doing. I'm sure he told you that he's fine…"

"Yeah, he did, and he looks fine too, but my mom...when you called and asked her if I could come for a few days, she didn't even argue about it, and it made me wonder if there's something you guys aren't telling me, like Dad's injuries were more severe…" Parker hesitated, not wanting to give voice to his fears.

"When I discussed the idea with your mother, she was very pleased that I suggested it. I actually believe she would've suggested it if I hadn't done so. She knew you needed to see your father in person so you could finally believe that he's going to completely recover." Smiling as she watched Hank throw handfuls of sand in the air, Brennan sighed softly. "No matter what issues your parents have with each other, they both still love you immensely, Parker, and they have your best interests at heart. I can only imagine how nerve wracking it must be for your mother to send her only son across the ocean by himself, but she was willing to do that for you so you could see how well your father is doing."

"Well, it's not like I haven't made the trip before…"

"True, but the circumstances of this trip were much different, weren't they? I'm sure Rebecca had some emotional issues to deal with concerning your father's injuries as well." Brennan chuckled as she watched the younger children play on the shore. "I'm so glad you're here, and I know your father is thrilled."

"So Dad's really gonna be okay?" Seeing Brennan nod, the boy let out an audible sigh of relief. "Good." A smile began to creep across Parker's face. "I can't wait to ride that jet ski. Hey, if you want to ride it, I can watch Hank and Christine."

Brennan cringed slightly as she watched Booth and her father race around in the water. "I'm not sure I want to…"

"Oh, come on. If you really thought it was that unsafe you wouldn't have bought one for Dad, right? You might as well enjoy it, too." Parker threw in a Boothy charm smile for good measure. "Doesn't look like fun?"

"It does look like fun…", Brennan agreed. She waved to her husband as he pulled the ski up on the beach. "I think I'd like to try that, Booth…"

Parker watched as his stepmother walked over to join his father on the jet ski. Grinning happily, he plopped down next to his younger siblings as they constructed a tower for their castle, listening as Christine chattered about all sorts of things while Hank filled his bucket with sand.

After a few more hours of playing at the beach, it was time for the family to go back to the house for lunch, and maybe a nap, so they'd be refreshed for the outdoor concert they were to attend that evening. Retreating to his room, Parker lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling above him, finally feeling free from the worry that had dogged him the last few weeks. His father would make a full recovery from his injury.

Of course, he only his father's word that he'd be more careful at work, but that was enough for now. For right now, Parker was going to enjoy the next few days with his family.

As he grew drowsy, he smiled as he drifted off to sleep. He was going to have a wonderful time on this vacation.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: parts of this story may seem like a stretch, but I'm invoking some poetic license. If you have time to review, I'd appreciate it. Laura_

* * *

Sunday morning held the promise of a beautiful day ahead. Booth, Parker, Max, Aubrey and Hodgins were loading the SUV with coolers and tackle as they got ready to drive to the city pier for a deep sea fishing excursion.

Brennan watched in amusement as the men bickered about the best place to stow the gear in the truck. Finally she couldn't resist adding her two cents into the conversation. "Why are you taking so much equipment, Booth? When I read the brochure online, it said that fishing tackle was provided to all the guests. That's why we had to make reservations...so the captain could make sure there were enough rods to go around."

"Oh." Booth leaned against the side of the SUV as he considered that bit of information. "Well, I guess we don't have to take all of the stuff after all, but I want to take the coolers. I've got enough sandwiches and water for everybody." He tapped the top of of one of the coolers. "I think I'll only take a couple of six packs of beer today. I want to be on my toes so I can catch the big one."

"I think that's an excellent decision, Booth. You shouldn't take the pills that prevent motion sickness with alcohol." Brennan put some apples in the cooler as she continued. "Are you sure you have enough food for Aubrey?"

"Yeah. Everybody's in charge of their own provisions, but we're limiting ourselves to two big coolers total." Grimacing slightly at his wife, Booth shook his head. "I didn't take that motion sickness stuff last night. It makes me too sleepy the day after I take it. I didn't want to spend all that money on a fishing trip and then sleep through the damn thing."

"I don't think that was good decision, Booth." Brennan stood with her hands on her hips as she watched him rearrange things in the car again. "Remember when we took the pirate tour with the children a few days ago? The gentle rocking of the boat as it traveled around the harbor made you feel slightly queasy. On a deep sea fishing trip, the waves will be much higher, and you may suffer from sea sickness…"

"Nah...I'll be fine." Booth laughed off her concerns as he put the coolers in the back end of the SUV. "What are you girls gonna be up to today?"

"Angela wants to do some shopping in the galleries and antique stores along the main street in Ocean City. We'll probably have some lunch there and then let the children ride the carousel a couple of times. Ms. Warren says she wants to purchase a souvenir tee shirt while she's here, so we'll probably look in some of the tourist shops along the boardwalk as well. I imagine we'll be home well before you get back to the dock."

"Yeah, probably." He grinned as he turned to his friends. "Are you guys ready to go?"

"Yep." The men piled into the car, laughing and talking about their upcoming grand adventure.

"Okay, we'll see you later, Bones." Booth gave his wife a kiss before getting into the car. "Don't worry...we have plenty of sunscreen."

"Have fun." Waving at the SUV as it pulled away from the house, Brennan sighed softly, hoping Booth wouldn't regret his decision to forego the motion sickness medication.

Oooooooooo

"Okay, Sweetie. I'm ready to go." Angela grabbed her purse as she walked to the front door. "Have we got everybody?"

"Ms. Warren has already gotten the children arranged in your van." Brennan followed Angela out to her car. "I'm looking forward to our trip."

"Me, too. I want to look in some of the local shops, and maybe that art gallery I read about last night." Angela threw her purse on the van's console. "Ready to go, Jessica?"

"Yes!" The young woman giggled softly. "Thanks for including me in your plans, Dr. B. I'm looking forward to our shopping trip."

"No problem. I know Christine is pleased that you're coming with us." Brennan grinned at her intern, who was ensconced between Christine and Hank's car seat. "I'm sure we'll be able to find plenty of souvenir shirts for your perusal."

"I hope so. I try to buy one whenever I travel somewhere. Part of the fun of the trip is deciding which shirt to buy."

"Booth collects tee shirts as well. I believe he has well over 100 tee shirts at this point in time. He used to have many more, but we compromised the last time we cleaned out our closets. I reduced the number of books I kept for my home library, and he culled some tee shirts from his collection. It was difficult for both of us to part with some of our cherished belongings, but we had an excessive amount of household items in our home, so we needed to do so."

Angela laughed sarcastically as she steered the van toward Ocean City. "Maybe so, but now you have room for more books, right?"

"Hmm...I suppose you are correct, although by that logic, Booth would have room for more tee shirts." Brennan grimaced at the thought. "However, the goal was to have more storage space for other items."

"Trust me, Sweetie...what Booth doesn't know won't hurt him. You just need to find a more secluded place to store your books. You know...put them in a place where Booth never looks, like under the bed or something like that."

"Angela! We both need to set a good example for Ms. Warren! I don't want her to think that it's appropriate to resort to subterfuge to get what we want from our husbands." Brennan pretended to be shocked. "I don't want to lie to Booth. He trusts me."

"It's not a lie. You just don't tell him everything you know. He doesn't need to know everything, does he?" Angela smirked at her friend. "Are you telling me that you actually got rid of some books? I don't believe that for a minute."

"Well…" Brennan wore a slightly naughty smile as she looked out the van's passenger window. "I did find a different place to store them, but they are no longer at home, and that's what matters…"

"They're being stored at the Jeffersonian!", Jessica interrupted. "In one of the janitorial closets…"

"Aha! Just as I thought!" Angela laughed out loud. "You never could stand to get rid of your books, could you?"

Brennan blushed slightly as she turned toward her friend. "That's true, and I do feel badly about that, since Booth gave some of his tee shirts away…"

"Actually…", Jessica began quietly, "...I know where some of those shirts are…" Angela looked into the rearview mirror and caught Jessica's eye, shaking her head slightly. Understanding what Angela meant, Jessica paused before continuing. "Booth told Aubrey that those shirts went to Goodwill." She bit her lip to keep from giggling as she thought about the number of tee shirts packed into the large plastic boxes that were currently being stored in Aubrey's garage.

"Perhaps, after our vacation is over, I should actually donate my books to a worthy cause." Brennan smiled at the young woman in the van's back seat. "I'd appreciate it if you researched some organizations that might be willing to take them, Ms. Warren."

"Of course. I'd be glad to help." Jessica nodded happily. "I'm sure we can find someone who'd love to have them."

Angela rolled her eyes as she gave her friend a sidelong glance. "That'll be the day…"

"Mama, I hungry.", Hank interrupted, whining as he twisted in his car seat. "Wanna cookie, Mama."

"No cookies right now, Hank...how about a slice of apple?" Handing a small container to Jessica, she nodded toward the little boy. "Maybe Ms. Warren can help you."

"Okay." Soon Hank, Christine, and Michael-Vincent were munching happily on apple slices as the van sped along the highway toward Ocean City.

Chuckling to herself, Jessica took a bite of her apple slice. She knew that eventually Dr. B's books would make it home, as would Agent Booth's tee shirts. It was all a matter of time...and a matter of compromise...but she knew they'd work it out, just like they always did.

Oooooooooo

Captain Billy Spencer took another drag from his cigarette before he flicked it into the water surrounding his charter fishing boat, the _Katie Ann._ Nodding to Tom, his first mate, he pointed to the group of men headed their way. "Looks like we've got ourselves some live ones here…"

Tom grunted without looking up from his tackle box. "Yup. We're gonna have our hands full, ain't we?"

"Yup." Billy pushed his hat back away from his face. "You better tell Benny to cut us some more bait. I'm not sure those greenhorns are gonna know which end of a knife to use." Waving at his passengers, he greeted them heartily as the men stepped onto the boat's deck. "Howdy, gentlemen. Ready to catch some keepers today?"

Aubrey was practically bouncing with excitement. "I am. I haven't been on a fishing expedition like this one since I was a little kid. What kind of fish do you normally catch?"

"Well, let's see. Probably some kingfish, some amberjack, flounder…probably some sea bass, and wahoo...maybe a couple of tuna. We don't normally get many sailfish up this way. They're more plentiful if you go further south. We'll be heading out to some deep sea wrecks to do some bottom fishing, so you'll be in charge of your rod and reel the whole time we're out there." Captain Billy helped Booth stow the coolers as he continued to explain about the trip they were to take. "It'll take us a good hour before we actually get out to the wrecks, though, so you gentlemen might as well relax and enjoy the ride. With the wind up like it is, we've got a bit of chop today, but it shouldn't be too bad...just a bit of rock and roll."

"Are there really wrecked ships in the water out there?" Parker scanned the horizon of the seemingly peaceful ocean. "I didn't know that."

"Some of the wrecks were boats were sunk by accident, but some of them were ships that were naval vessels that were decommissioned and then sunk to make artificial reefs." Captain Billy pointed off to the east. "The African Queen lies out that way. We'll probably try that spot first. We always have good luck out there. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get us underway."

Hodgins inhaled sharply as he noticed the sudden flash of pain that crossed Booth's face. Moving to sit next to his friend as the boat left the pier, he whispered quietly to him. "You okay, Buddy? I'm thinking maybe you've had a flashback about how the Gravedigger kidnapped you, right? Being trapped aboard that old Navy ship they were gonna sink was definitely not fun…"

"I'm fine, okay? I was just remembering how I ruined the cool watch that Parker had given me, that's all." Booth gave Hodgins a small smile. "Thanks for asking...and for working so hard to get me off that damn tub before it blew up."

"No problem. I owed Dr. B that much, you know?" Sighing happily, Hodgins pointed to the seabirds flying overhead. " _Larus canus..._ the common gull. One of nature's best scavengers. They're kinda like Aubrey...they'll eat anything."

"Hey, watch it!" Aubrey grinned good naturedly as he took a bite out of an apple. "I can't help it if my taste buds are easily entertained."

"I know. I was with you when we were checking out Chili Reuben's van." Hodgins made a disgusted face at the memory. "I thought you were really gonna eat that old sweet roll we found on the floorboard, remember?"

The hot summer sun beat down on the men as they laughed and joked for the hour or so it took for the charter boat to get out to the old wreck. Tom, the first mate, came around to hand out their rods and tackle as the _Katie Ann_ bobbed up and down in the choppy water.

"Okay, fellas, we're gonna be fishing at about 70 feet deep. It's pretty much just a straight drop down and then wait for a bite. Watch the float on the water's surface, and when it disappears, yank hard." Tom showed the group how to thread their bait on the large treble hooks at the end of their lines. "Ready, guys? Let's fish."

Cheers went up as the fishermen wet their lines. After about fifteen minutes, Parker got a bite, and excitedly cranked the large reel attached to his rod.. After an extended game of tug of war with the fish, he finally was able to bring it over the boat's railing. "Wow, look at that one! It's huge! What kind of fish is this, Tom?"

"That's a mighty fine mackerel you've got there, young man. A fish like that goes about twenty pounds." After removing the fish from the hook, Tom grinned as he marked it's tail with colored tape before baiting Parker's hook again. "We wanna make sure these older guys don't take credit for your work, right?"

"Fish on!", Max cried as he pulled back on his rod. "It must be a monster!" After a few minutes he pulled a large flounder onto the boat. He held it up proudly for everyone to see. "That's a nice fish, isn't it? Good eating, too. Hey, Booth...take my picture with that fancy phone of yours."

Moaning softly, Booth grimaced as he pulled his phone from his pocket. "Okay...smile, Max…" He braced himself against the rolling of the deck as he held the phone up to take a picture, and then shook his head. "Here, Aubrey, you do it. I don't feel so good." Bracing himself as the boat rocked with the ocean's swells, he squeezed his eyes shut. "I feel like maybe I'm gonna throw up…"

Trying not to giggle, Hodgins made an attempt to commiserate with his friend. "Gee, that's awful. Maybe this'll help...just focus on the horizon out there, Booth...don't think about the way this boat is bouncing up and down...all over the place…with the waves..."

"Oooh…" Booth gripped the boat's railing and promptly lost his breakfast overboard. "God...I feel awful…"

"Look, Dad! I caught another one!" Parker proudly showed off the large grouper he'd landed while his father was indisposed. "This is great, isn't it? I love fishing from a boat like this."

"Yeah...great." Slumping onto one of the boat's seats, Booth exhaled slowly as he waved his hand in front of his ashen face. "I'm gonna go get some water." He got up carefully and stumbled back to the cabin where the coolers were stowed, trying to keep his balance as the boat rocked from side to side. Nodding to the captain, he groaned. "I need to lie down…"

Captain Billy laughed to himself as his passenger tried to get comfortable in the small bunk built into the stuffy cabin's wall. "Well, I think if you rest here for a few minutes, you'll feel better." The skipper puffed on his cigarette as he made himself a grilled bologna, onion and hot pepper cheese sandwich, which was topped with a large dollop of hot mustard and a can of warm sauerkraut. After taking a big bite, he opened a cold bottle of root beer and took a big drink. Belching in satisfaction, he shrugged at his guest. "After all, we don't want you to miss out on all the fishing because you're seasick…"

"Jeee...susss…", Booth sighed. "What's that terrible smell?"

"Just some lunch. Want some?" The captain offered Booth part of his sandwich. "Plenty more where that came from…"

"God, no! Where's the head?" Booth pinched his lips together as he tried to keep from vomiting. "I'm gonna be sick..."

"Down those steps…" Billy chuckled to himself as he watched Booth dash off. "Greenhorns…"

Meanwhile, up on the boat's deck, the rest of the charter party was having a great time as they hauled in several fish. Aubrey was in heaven as he thought of all the different ways their catch could be cooked. Hodgins was waxing poetic about the tremendous diversity of fish species they were encountering, and Max was thoroughly enjoying himself as he watched his grandson having fun while they both caught several large fish.

"Too bad Dad's not feeling well.", Parker said to Max as he watched Tom tag another one of his fish. "He was looking forward to this trip for a long time."

"I know." Max nodded as he watched his float. "We've got a few more hours to fish, though. I bet he'll be able to try his luck sooner or later."

"I hope so." Parker shrugged slightly as he gazed out over the ocean. "I kinda feel guilty having so much fun fishing while he's feeling so bad."

"He wants you to enjoy yourself, son. He's happy that you were able to come spend a few days at the beach house, and that's all that really matters to him." Max smiled proudly at the young man next to him, pleased to be considered his grandfather. "Hey...where's your float?"

Oooooooooo

An hour later, a pale and slightly wobbly Booth clenched his jaw as he staggered onto the boat's deck. "Hand me a pole, Tom. I'm gonna catch at least one damn fish on this trip." He glared as his friends as they tried not to laugh at him. "Listen...not one word about me being seasick to Bones, you hear me? I do not need to hear her say 'I told you so' about those fucking motion sickness pills, okay?"

"Having _mal de mer_ is perfectly normal, Booth…", Hodgins began in a professorial tone as he tried to keep a straight face. "It's just your inner ears trying to adjust to the rocking motion of the boat. A lot of people have trouble with it. Are you sure you're okay? You still look a little green around the gills..."

"Enough!", Booth roared. "I don't want to talk about being sick any more. I just want to catch a goddamn fish, okay? A little help here, Tom?"

First Mate Tom, who was used to dealing with seasick passengers in his line of work, didn't bat an eye as he helped the irritable man bait his hook. "Yes, sir...there you go. I think we've got an hour or so before we have to head back. I'm pretty sure you can catch a couple of big ones…"

After some impatient moments, Booth was finally able to land a small amberjack. "Thank God. I'm glad this trip wasn't a total waste. Let's have some more bait, Tom…"

Forty five minutes and three more fish later, it was time to head back to the dock. Pleasantly tired, the men were happy with their day's catch. Even Booth was feeling a little bit better about their day. After pulling into the boat's berth at the pier, Captain Billy, Tom, and Benny pulled the fish out of the hold and sorted them out according to who had caught which one.

"Well, young man…", Billy laughed as he nudged Parker gently. "...it looks like you won the prizes for the biggest fish and for catching the most. Here you go…"

Parker smiled broadly as he showed everyone his award. "I won a free fishing trip on the boat! That's great, isn't it? Maybe I can use it when I come to visit next summer…"

"Yeah, that's just great. Maybe Max and Bones can take you next time, huh?" Booth smiled sarcastically. "I'm not sure your old man can handle another deep sea fishing trip. It's probably a good thing I joined the Army instead of the Navy."

"Aw, c'mon, Dad...it wasn't that bad, was it?" Parker grinned as he slapped his father on the back. "I bet if you take those motion sickness pills next time, like Bones suggested, you won't be seasick."

"Who's side are you on, anyway?" Booth laughed as they hauled the fish and their coolers back to the SUV. "You're right. I should've listened to Bones. She's always right…but you don't have to tell her I said so…"

"You're correct...she is always right.", Max quipped. "And we don't have to tell her, because she already knows that." He smiled happily as he climbed into the backseat of the car. "Thanks for letting me come along, fellas. I had a great time."

"I think we all did.", Aubrey agreed. "I'm gonna remember this day for a long time."

Still feeling a bit off his feed, Booth nodded slowly. "Yeah, me, too. Let's go home."

Oooooooooo

It was late Sunday evening, and the darkened house was finally quiet. The weekend guests had left a few hours ago, and all three of their children were sleeping soundly as Booth and Brennan enjoyed a pleasant evening on the veranda.

"I'm glad you invited everyone to come this weekend, Bones. It was a lot of fun. I'm glad Max showed up, too. I think he enjoyed the fishing trip." Booth sipped his scotch as he pulled his wife into a hug. "And I'm really happy that Parker was able to come to stay for a few days…"

"I'm glad." She reached up to give him a kiss. "I was surprised to see Max, but I'm glad he came. And you're right. He had a great time fishing. He especially enjoyed spending time with Parker." Snuggling next to her husband, she continued softly. "He's thrilled about being Parker's grandfather. Thank you for allowing him to fill that role in our family, Booth."

"Of course Max can be Parker's grandpa. A kid can never have too many grandparents, right?" He smiled as he stroked her hair. "So I guess we're gonna have to go back to reality pretty soon, aren't we? I mean, I've missed working, but I've really enjoyed our vacation here."

"I know. I've enjoyed it, too." She laughed as she sipped her wine. "I suppose even being seasick didn't keep you from enjoying your fishing trip."

Pretending to growl at his wife, Booth scowled. "Okay...who ratted me out?"

"No one. I overheard Aubrey tell Ms. Warren about it as they were packing their car to leave. To be fair, he was being complimentary towards you, telling her about how you wouldn't let feeling so awful get in the way of Parker having a good time. That's what makes you such a good father, Booth...the way you care for others. It's one of the many reasons I love you."

"Thanks, Bones. I love you, too." He twitched a flirty eyebrow at her. "In fact, I think it's time I show you just how much I love you, seeing how we have the house to ourselves now."

"Are you sure you're completely recovered from your bout of motion sickness, Booth? I wouldn't want you to have a recurrence while we were engaged in some intense back and forth movements…"

"Trust me...I feel great." He grinned as he took her hand and pulled her up from her chair. "But I'm not gonna take any pills...I don't want to fall asleep and miss anything."

"Don't worry." She gave him a big smile as she followed him to their bedroom. "I don't think you'll have much reason to fall asleep for awhile…"


	10. Chapter 10

_My apologies for neglecting this story. I only recently realized that I'd left Booth, Brennan, and their family at the seashore for several months longer than I'd intended. I'm sure they didn't mind. If you have time to review, I'd appreciate it. Laura_

* * *

"So you're sure you're gonna be okay staying here at the beach by yourself?" Booth threw his duffel bag in the back of the SUV and turned to his wife. "Maybe you and the kids should come back to town with me…"

"We'll be fine, Booth. As you know, I'm quite capable of taking care of myself. Somehow I managed to do that before I met you." Brennan kissed her husband's cheek and winked at him. "Anyway, I made these arrangements several weeks ago, and it's too late now to change the schedule just because the weather may not cooperate. I don't want you to miss your doctor's appointment tomorrow, and Parker is supposed to leave for London the following morning, so you can take him to the airport, see him off, and then come back here to enjoy the last week of our beach vacation before you're supposed to go back to work." She tilted her head, watching him grumble as he rearranged things in the back of the car. "You know I'm right…"

"Yeah, I know, but it still bothers me for some reason. I guess I shouldn't have listened to the weather news last night. Hearing about that tropical storm moving up the coast toward North Carolina makes me nervous." He paused, reaching over to take her hand. "There's a weather radio in the house, right? It runs on batteries in case there's no electricity..."

Brennan rolled her eyes at her fretful husband. "Yes, and we have flashlights, lanterns, extra batteries, bottled water, coolers for storing our food, and there are security officers patrolling the area on a regular basis. If the electricity does go out and the approaching storm looks ominous, they'll inform us, and we'll evacuate to the community center in the middle of town or to the casino on the mainland. It's a very sturdy building, Booth. I'm sure you must realize that the community has a storm evacuation plan in place, should the need arise. We'll be fine. You know that I wouldn't deliberately put our children in harm's way."

"I know." He ran his thumb over her knuckles as he sighed quietly. "I just...I mean, leaving you here with two little kids...it doesn't seem right. What if something should happen while I'm gone? I'll have the car, and how would you leave if you needed to? Maybe I should call the doctor and postpone my appointment."

"You could do that, but Parker would still need to be at the airport very early on the day of his flight. If we are required to leave Ocean City because of the weather, I'm sure we can find a ride with someone, but I sincerely doubt we'll need to do that." Pulling her husband close, Brennan wrapped her arms around his neck. "I know you feel the need to protect us, and I love you for that, but the weather forecasters have looked at several models of the storm track, all of which show the storm most likely moving out to sea and away from our location without making landfall. Even if the storm does change course, we'll have plenty of time to move inland." Giving him another kiss, she grinned happily. "I'm looking forward to finding out what the doctor says, Booth. If you're completely released from her care, we can resume some of our more boisterous love making activities…"

Booth exhaled slowly, wondering if maybe they were a little bit too 'mature' to get any more boisterous than they already were in the lovemaking department. "Well, last time I saw her, she said we needed to take it easy with that sort of thing, but I guess she doesn't know that my wife has studied kinesiology, right? We've been pretty adventurous even while we've been taking it easy. What's gonna happen if I'm no longer restricted?"

"I don't know." Brennan shrugged as she let her eyes play over her husband's broad shoulders and muscular arms. "I guess you'll need to bring the doctor's note back here for me to see so you can find out." Running her hands down his chest, she gave him a seductive smile. "I can be very creative…"

"Jesus…" Booth exhaled slowly before giving her another passionate kiss. "Hold that thought 'til I get back, okay? I'm gonna make that doctor give me an 'all clear' note at my appointment, no matter what it takes."

Brennan giggled as she reached around to squeeze his gluteus muscles. "I hope so."

"Yeah…" One more quick kiss and then Booth shook his head, smiling at his beautiful wife. "If I don't hit the road soon, I'm gonna wanna stay all night, and then I might miss tomorrow's appointment." Holding her hand, they walked over to the door that led from the garage to the house and he called to his oldest child. "Parker? You ready to go, Bud?"

"Coming, Dad." The teenager came bounding down the steps with his younger siblings close at his heels. Lugging his suitcase behind him, he dragged it out to the garage and put it in the back end of the SUV before giving Brennan a hug. "Thanks for sharing your vacation with me, Bones. I'm glad you suggested it. I had a great time."

"We enjoyed your visit. Perhaps we can make it an annual affair."

"I'd like that." Parker stooped down to give Christine and Hank big hugs as well. "Okay, you guys, remember...you're gonna ask Dad to let you skype with me, right? As often as possible?"

"Okay, Parker." Christine blinked back her tears as she nodded. "I'll miss you."

"I'm gonna miss you, too, but I'll talk to you soon. Bye, Sissy…" He offered Hank a fist bump. "Bye, Partner." Parker stood up and drew a shuddering breath. "Okay...let's go, Dad…"

"Yeah." Booth turned to Brennan. "Listen, I'll call you when we get to the house, okay? And if you need anything…"

"I'll let you know. We'll be fine…" She patted his butt as she gave him a goodbye kiss. "We love you. See you in a couple of days."

Ooooooooooo

After an uneventful trip home, Booth unlocked the door of the darkened house as he juggled a large pizza box, a two liter bottle of soda, and a six pack of beer. "Come on in. I bet you're hungry."

Parker followed his father in and dropped his bags by the door. "Yeah, I could eat." Rubbing his hands together gleefully, he sat down at the kitchen counter as his dad set out some plates and flatware. "I really miss having pizza like this, you know? I mean, they have good restaurants in London, but their idea of pizza isn't even close to being as good as Luigi's."

Booth poured some soda into a glass and handed it to his son. "I know. I love Luigi's." He took a sip of his beer and grinned at his son. "But you still like living in London, right? It seems like you're enjoying school, and you've got friends there...and your mom is there…"

"Yeah, it's okay, I guess." Parker picked up a piece of sausage from the bottom of the pizza box and popped it into his mouth. "I'm glad I've had the opportunity to live in the UK. I've been to a lot of different places in Europe that I probably wouldn't have gotten to see otherwise, and my school is great." He sighed softly as he ran his finger across the rim of his glass. "Mom really likes it there, and I like her new husband, Brent, a lot, but...I don't know...I still miss you and Bones a lot, too, and Christine, and Hank...it's hard to explain…"

"Nah...I get it." Booth opened a bottle of beer and sat down next to his son. "We miss you, too, but if we know that you're happy, that makes it easier for us while you're living so far away." After choosing a slice of pizza from the box, he gave Parker a sidelong glance. "Have you and your mom discussed where you want to go to college yet?"

"Kinda…" Parker shrugged a shoulder slightly. "It depends on how things go with her job, and with Brent's, over the next few years. She's talked about them moving back to the States, and if they do, I'll probably apply at some universities here...probably University of North Carolina, or maybe West Virginia, but I'm not even sure what I want to study yet."

"That's alright. You've got a little bit of time before you have to decide. Who knows? Maybe you'll want to go to American or George Washington, if they offer something you're interested in."

"Maybe." The normally talkative Parker grew quiet as they ate dinner, watching his father intently, until finally he coughed softly. "Um...Dad? Have you thought about taking a desk job with the Bureau, or maybe working at Quantico? I bet you'd be a really good teacher at the Academy…"

Booth chuckled softly as he picked up another slice of pizza. "Still worried about your old man, huh?" He paused as he saw Parker cringe slightly in embarrassment. "Hey, no reason to be ashamed about that. I know you love me, okay? And yeah, I've considered it. I'll probably think about it more over the next few years, since I'm getting closer to fifty." He sipped his beer thoughtfully. "I want to do field work for maybe five more years or so, and then I'm gonna look into doing something else for the Bureau. Who knows? Maybe I can move up to be a director. That might help me pay for your college education, right?"

"Right." Parker drained his glass and grinned at his father. "Thanks, Dad."

"For what?" Booth cocked his head to one side. "Of course, we're gonna pay for college…me and your mom, that is..."

"No, thanks for being you. I guess I never realized how hard things were for you sometimes, like dealing with work and all, but you always put me first, and I appreciate it, so thanks, okay?"

"Yeah...okay." Booth rose from the table and picked up the plates. "Hey, how about some dessert? Luigi put some cinnamon twists in the bag, and I think there's some chocolate ice cream in the freezer…unless Aubrey found it and ate it all..."

"Sounds good." Getting up to help his father load the dishwasher, Parker smiled to himself as he remembered once again just how lucky he was.

Oooooooooo

"Mommy, why did Daddy have to go home today?", Christine asked as she watched her mother cut up some apples. "Wasn't he having fun at the beach?"

"Of course, he's been having fun." Brennan scooped up Hank from the floor where he was playing with his toy cars and set him down at the kitchen table. "He has an appointment tomorrow, and then the day after that, he has to take Parker to the airport so he can fly home to London. After he leaves the airport, Daddy will come back here, and we'll spend a few more days at the beach before our vacation time is over and we return home."

"Awww…" Christine's lower lip quivered as she picked up an apple slice. "I like the beach. I don't wanna go home."

"Bea, Mama...bea. Like the bea, Mama. Wanna twim." Hank bounced around in his chair, waving his slice of apple in one hand and a toy truck in the other. "Twim, Mama."

"We'll go swimming tomorrow, Hank." Reaching down to wipe his hands, Brennan shook her head. "We can't stay at the beach forever, Christine. Mommy and Daddy both have jobs, and we'll have to go back to work soon. If we didn't work, we couldn't afford to go on a beach vacation."

"Why don't you just write another book? You make lots of money that way, right?" Christine pouted a little bit as she pushed some apple seeds around on her plate. "I want to live at the beach forever."

"Writing a book is a lengthy process, but you're right. I am compensated well for my books." Brennan smiled as she rubbed her daughter's back. "When you are an adult, you may choose to live at the beach, if you have a good job and can afford to do so, but in order to have a good job, you must go to school to learn as much as you can. You attend an excellent elementary school in DC, Christine, and you'll need to start another year there in approximately six weeks, so we need to go home to have time to prepare. You'll need some new clothing, and some new shoes…"

"Can I get some _My Little Pony_ shoes, Mommy? I want some light blue ones with rainbow unicorns on them." Christine giggled as she looked down at her bare feet. "And maybe some sparkly shoe laces, and maybe we can get some shoes that light up when I walk…"

"That sounds like a very nice pair of shoes, Christine. We'll go shopping for shoes when we get home. Will that be satisfactory?"

"I suppose." Chewing her apple thoughtfully, Christine finally smiled at her mother. "Can we go for a walk down the beach before dinner tonight?"

"I think that would be very enjoyable." Brennan sat down at the table and ate an apple slice as she thought over her daughter's suggestion. "Perhaps we should look for some shells to take home to your Aunt Angela. Maybe if we find some pretty ones, she can paint a picture of them for us to help us remember our vacation. Why don't we take our pails when we go on our walk?"

"Okay." Jumping down from her chair, Christine took her plate to the sink. "I'll go get them."

Brennan reached out to tousle Hank's hair as he finished his apple. As she gazed wistfully out the kitchen window, she sighed softly. _Perhaps it would be nice to live at the beach all the time…_

Ooooooooo

The next day, Booth picked up his tee shirt as he sat on the examination table. "So, good to go, right, Doc?"

Dr. LeConte typed the last of her notes into the computer file. "Yes, I believe so." The physician chuckled to herself as she made her entries. Her patient was remarkably fit for someone who was supposed to be taking it easy, and it was obvious from how well defined his musculature was that he had ignored her advice about resting. _If this is what he looks like when he's not exercising a lot, I wonder what his physique is like when he's working out full tilt. Wow..._ Realizing that he was waiting on her verdict, she quickly cleared her throat. "I'm releasing you to go back to work next Wednesday." She glanced at her monitor before she continued. "I'm not placing any restrictions, as such, on you, but I would like you to limit the amount you lift to forty pounds to begin with, and then work up gradually to more weight over the next few months." She glanced at his torso before smiling at him. "I'm afraid you'll have a real dandy of a scar on your abdomen…"

"Yeah, I know. It'll match all the other ones I've got." Without thinking, he ran his fingers over the area where he'd been injured. "But it seems like it's completely healed…"

"I agree, but there's no reason to overdo things right away. After all, it was a very deep wound, and since you've been 'resting' for several weeks, you may need to build up your muscle mass again." Dr. LeConte pretended to be annoyed. "I know you haven't really been taking things easy, Agent Booth, but you'll be better off in the long run if you're cautious when you resume your physical training regimen." She printed a page and signed her name on it before handing it to him. "Here's a copy of what I sent the FBI human resources department. It says you can resume your normal duties, and that I'll need to see you in three months to check on your progress. Until then, please take care of yourself."

"You got it, Doc. Hey, thanks for everything. I appreciate all you've done for me." He reached out to shake her hand.

"My pleasure, Agent Booth. See you in three months."

He stopped by the front desk to make his next appointment before walking out to his SUV. As he climbed up into his car and put his key in the ignition, it finally hit him. He was completely healed, and all of the pain...all of the drama...all of the trouble...it was really over. Everything that had happened with Jared and that crazy, deadly plan of his was finally at an end. Sure, he had one more appointment, but for all intents and purposes, that ugly chapter of his life was behind him now, and he could look toward the future. A wave of relief seemed to crash over him as he sat there thinking about everything that had happened. He could finally move on.

It wasn't until Booth saw the wet spot on his letter from Dr. LeConte that he realized tears were running down his face. He wondered how many more times his grief over his brother would sneak up to bite him in the ass like that, but now...maybe now he was done with all that shit. Nodding to himself, he knew what he needed to do. He had to talk to the woman who'd been his ray of hope through this whole terrible storm. Pulling out his phone, he hit the speed dial and waited breathlessly for her to answer. "Bones?"

"Booth?" He could hear the happiness in her voice. "I hoped you'd call. I assume your appointment had a satisfactory outcome?"

He chuckled softly as he imagined her sitting on the beach house veranda with her cup of tea as the kids played nearby. "Yeah, it did. I've been released to go back to work, but the doctor says I'm still not supposed to lift too much for the next few months. Something tells me she figured out I haven't exactly been following all of her orders. I think she just had to throw that bit out there to cover her ass."

"Perhaps, but I think it's a good idea to follow her instructions. What are you and Parker doing for dinner tonight?"

"I think we're going to Rigoletto's for Italian." He paused, listening intently for a few seconds. "Is it raining there?"

"Yes, it just started. Fortunately, we were able to get a quick swim in at the pool before it started. The ocean was too choppy for us to play in this morning. It appears we're catching the outer edge of the tropical depression before it moves out to sea. Is it raining in DC?"

"Not yet, but the weather guy says it may rain some tonight." Booth paused, chewing his lip slightly as he tried to find the words to explain how he was feeling. "So...um...listen, Bones...I know you know this, but...I love you so much, alright? I mean, it just hit me, while I was sitting here in the car after my appointment, about how much shit you had to put up with while I was trying to keep Jared out of trouble...for all those years, not just this last time. You went way above and beyond what I deserved…"

"Booth…", she sighed softly. "We've been over that. Jared was your brother, and it was natural for you to want to help him…"

"I know, but…" He stared out the car's window as he thought about the past few months. "I just want you to know that I know how hard it was for you, okay? And that I appreciate you…and I love you..."

Brennan hesitated, wondering why Booth felt the need to repeat these things after they'd gone over them so many times after Jared had died, but she decided to play along. "Thank you, Booth. I appreciate you as well, and I love you very much. I'm looking forward to seeing you tomorrow."

"Yeah, me too. I'll be there as soon as I can. I love you. See you tomorrow. Bye…" He ended the call and put his phone on the console next to him. Leaning back in his seat, he closed his eyes and thanked God again for the wonderful woman who was his wife.

* * *

 _One more chapter to go..._


	11. Chapter 11

It was raining heavily as Booth pulled his SUV up to the curb at the airport's Delta terminal. "Well, Buddy...here we are…"

"Yeah." Trying to be stoic as he unbuckled his seatbelt, Parker furtively ran a knuckle under his eyes. "I had a great time at the beach, Dad. I hope I can visit again soon."

"Me, too." Climbing out of the car, Booth hurried around to the back and pulled out his son's backpack and suitcase. "So Atlanta, and then on to London, right?"

"Yup. The departure times worked out better that way." Shouldering his pack, Parker grabbed the handle of his suitcase and pulled it up onto the sidewalk. "It's a long trip home either way."

"I remember." Booth patted his son's shoulder. "So we'll all skype soon, alright? I don't know how Christine and Hank will handle the time difference...it may be hard to figure that out, but don't worry. We'll get it taken care of. I know you miss talking to them."

"Yeah, I do." Sniffling slightly, Parker tried to smile at his dad. "Does saying goodbye ever get easier?"

"Nope, it doesn't." Booth pulled the young man into a bearhug. "Not when you love someone like we love you. Take care of yourself, okay? Now…" Booth pointed to the doors that led into the terminal. "...you better get a move on so you don't miss your flight. We'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"Okay." Parker nodded as he shook his father's hand. "I love you, Dad...tell Bones I love her, too...and Christine and Hank..."

"You got it." Booth wanted to linger a few more minutes, but the traffic patrol officer was anxious to have him move his SUV out of the way. "Bye, Parker."

"Bye, Dad." Turning quickly so his father wouldn't see his tears, Parker quickly walked through the building's sliding doors and was gone.

Booth climbed into the SUV and slowly drove away, blinking back his tears as he pulled onto the highway leading away from the airport. Sighing softly, he tried to concentrate on the drive to Maryland instead of thinking about how much he was going to miss his eldest child.

Oooooooooo

Booth drove along the highway in the pouring rain, singing loudly with the oldies station on Pandora. He grinned as he tapped his steering wheel to the beat of _My Sharona._ Reaching over to the dashboard, he cranked up the sound a couple of notches. _They don't make music like that anymore...too bad, too. That's a great song. My my my… my Sharona…_

He did a few dance moves in his seat as George Michaels sang _Wake Me Up Before You Go Go,_ but his mood grew more pensive as he listened to the Bangles' _An Eternal Flame._ He nodded as he listened to the words. _Say my name, sunlight through the rain...you take my hand and ease my pain…_

Those words fit his beautiful wife perfectly. He wondered once again how he could ever make her understand just how much her steadfast belief in him had sustained him over these last few months. Of course, Bones would say that she was merely fulfilling her office of spouse by supporting him in his time of need, but it was so much more than that. Once again she had saved him...not just his life, but his heart as well. He was a very fortunate man…

He was so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed how much heavier the rain had become as he neared Ocean City. Soon his car seemed to be engulfed in a deluge of almost Biblical proportions. _Man, look at it rain...I'm glad I'm almost there…_

What little traffic there was had slowed to a crawl and then finally to a stop, as the road to Ocean City was blocked with a barricade. Moving his SUV around the line of cars, Booth pulled up next to a Maryland State Patrol car and rolled down his window. "What's up, Officer?"

"Road's closed into Ocean City. They've had a pretty bad storm...power's out...trees down...cell service disrupted...stuff like that." The young man scratched his chin as he looked at Booth. "You can't get in there right now. Might as well turn around and go back the way you came."

"What? A bad storm? What kind of storm?", Booth began frantically as he pulled out his phone. "No cell service?"

"Nope...no services at all." The officer waved at another patrol car as it drove past the barricade. "The Weather Service said it was a microburst, whatever the hell that is…"

"Look, Officer...my wife and kids are in Ocean City…"

"I understand, sir. Lotsa people are stuck there. It doesn't seem like there were any injuries, however. I'm sure your family's fine." Officer Dukes shrugged as he turned away from Booth. "The utility guys said they wanna go check the place out and make sure there aren't any live wires down or stuff like that before people go traipsing through the town. They've asked the people there to shelter in place for a bit and for everyone else to stay out…just until the gas and power companies do their thing. It's a safety issue, you know?"

Booth was impatient to see his family, and he was not about to let some baby faced state cop stand in his way. "Listen, Officer Dukes...I'm a federal agent. FBI, okay?" He flipped his badge open to his ID photo. "I have national clearance, see? You can let me through…I can help with the clean up."

"Nope." The officer offered Booth a bland smile. "My orders are that no one gets through...nobody, no how. Not even the President of the United States...not even the Pope." Seeing Booth's angry scowl, Dukes chuckled softly. "Sorry, Buddy…"

"Sorry, Buddy? Is that all you've got to say for yourself?" Booth got out of his car and slammed the door loudly. Now thoroughly irate, he ignored the pounding rain as he chewed out the young man. "You listen to me, okay? Get your supervisor on that radio now before I kick your ass from here to the Atlantic Ocean! Tell him that I'm going into Ocean City, and there's nothing that's gonna stop me!"

"Except for maybe getting arrested by the Maryland State Police." Officer Dukes listened to the walkie talkie as it squawked, holding up a finger as he nodded at an aggravated Booth. "Right. Okay. Thanks." Putting his radio in his pocket, Dukes shrugged again. "Cap'n says to be patient. He says to give it thirty or forty minutes and they'll be through with checking out everything in Ocean City. Can you wait that long, Agent Booth?"

"I suppose, but there's no way I'm gonna be patient. I'm not happy about this at all, okay?" Wiping his wet hair away from his face, Booth glared at the officer. "I'm gonna write a letter to your superiors, Dukes...you hear me? They're probably gonna bust you down to mechanic ultra junior grade. You'll be stuck in the garage airing up everyone's tires…" Muttering angrily to himself, Booth opened the door and climbed into his SUV. "I mean it…I'm gonna make sure they teach you a lesson on how to deal with people."

"Yes, sir. I know, sir." Officer Dukes sighed softly and braced himself for another unpleasant barrage as another angry driver approached him. _Maybe my wife was right...maybe I ought to be a first responder...it sure would be easier than working for the highway patrol…_

Oooooooooo

Booth was shocked at the amount of destruction that had been done by the storm. As he drove through the resort community, he had to maneuver his car around downed trees and power poles. Several of the beach houses had lost parts of their roofs and there was broken glass, tree branches, and torn shingles everywhere.

Trying to quell his panic as he drove to the lot where their home of the last three weeks stood, he breathed in deeply. _Dukes said no one was injured...they're gonna be okay…_ Still, he wasn't sure he could believe it until he saw his wife and his children with his own two eyes.

After parking the car, he gave the house a cursory inspection before racing up the front steps. Satisfied that things were okay for the time being, he threw open the front door. "Bones? Where are you? Are you okay?"

He heard Christine's giggle coming from under a pile of blankets. "Shhh, Bunny...let's see if Daddy can find us!"

Hardly in the mood to play childish games, her father grabbed the top blanket and threw it aside. "There you are...come here and give me a hug. I was so worried about you!"

"Aw, look, Daddy...you tore up our fort." Christine's bottom lip stuck out in a mock pout as she held up her stuffed rabbit for his inspection. "Now me and Bunny have to build it all over again."

"That's alright, Christine." Brennan came down the stairs with Hank balanced on her hip. "Daddy likes to build forts out of blankets, don't you, Daddy?"

"Bones! Oh, my God." Booth rushed to the foot of the stairs and embraced her tenderly. "There you are! Jesus, I was so scared when I heard about the storm! Are you alright? Is the house okay? How long has the power been out?"

"You're all wet. Have you been standing out in the rain?" Brennan chuckled as she handed him the squirming baby. "We're fine. It doesn't appear as if the house sustained any major structural damage, although one of the guest room windows was broken out by flying debris. I've boarded it up with some plywood I found in the garage. The power has been out for a couple of hours, since the approximate height of the storm."

"The highway patrol officer I talked to said it was a microbust, or something like that." Booth grimaced as he realized that he probably owed Officer Dukes an apology. "It looked like there was a lot of damage as I drove through town."

"When the hurricane passed by this section of the coast, it spawned several large thunderstorms. A microburst often occurs when a thunderstorm develops a sudden strong downdraft. They can be quite destructive. Fortunately, we were warned of the impending severe weather by the radio, so we were able to prepare for any problems that could've occurred." She smiled as she picked up the device. "I was quite impressed by its efficiency. We need to get one for our home."

Rolling his eyes at his wife, Booth sighed with exasperation. "Nice to know, I guess. But you're okay?"

"Of course." She kissed her husband on the cheek. "We've been without power, but other than that, we're fine. I found some flashlights and battery operated lanterns in the garage, so we'll be able to see what we're doing this evening."

"It's been fun having no 'lectricity, Daddy. We played like we were settlers in the American colonies! They didn't have 'lectricity, or computers or things like that, you know." Christine took on her mother's teacher mode as she continued her lecture. "The colonists had to do without luxuries like air conditioning and running water, and they didn't have a lot of things to eat, but they survived and developed the land, and soon the population grew."

"I see." Booth grinned as he ruffled the little girl's hair. "So are we gonna have to cook our dinner outside over an open fire tonight?"

Brennan grimaced slightly. "The officer that came to check on us said that he wasn't sure when power would be restored. It could be as late as tomorrow afternoon."

"Well, then, I guess we can have some colonist sandwiches, okay?" Booth exhaled softly, smiling with satisfaction as he once again embraced his family. "I don't care what we have for dinner, as long as we're together."

Oooooooooo

It was late, and the darkened house was quiet except for the soft chirrup of insects outside the windows. The bedroom curtains were wafted gently in the breeze that filled the room. A lantern flickered softly from the dresser, casting shadows that danced merrily across the room.

Booth lay in bed with his wife in his arms, both happy and very well satisfied from their time spent making love together. Heaving a contented sigh, he stroked her hair as she snuggled against his chest. "I think it was a good idea to leave the air conditioning off even though the power came back on. It's kind of fun to play 'settlers', isn't it?"

"I suppose so, but I'll be happy to have the electricity back when I do the laundry tomorrow. I don't think I'd like to wash all of our clothes by hand." She giggled as he pulled her close. "What are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm getting ready for round three." He twitched an eyebrow at her. "After all, the doctor released me from care, and you promised that we'd engage in some rambunctious behavior together…"

"That I did, and I'll keep my promise, but I want to enjoy the peace and quiet for a few more minutes. We'll have to go back to our regular lives soon, and I want to remember what it feels like to be perfectly relaxed." Brennan hummed softly as she traced circles on Booth's chest. "I want these memories to last a long time." Propping herself up on her elbow, she looked into her husband's eyes. "I was wrong, you know...taking a beach vacation was an excellent idea."

"Wow...did you just admit that you made a mistake?" Booth chuckled as she pretended to glare at him. "Well, I'm glad you can finally agree that it was a good idea."

"So…", Brennan began quietly. "...do you think we should look for our own beach house? Would you like to come to the beach every summer and stay for a couple of weeks, or maybe even a month?"

"Oh, I don't know." He caressed her curves gently. "I mean, it sounds like fun, but there'd be a lot of upkeep if we had a house on the seashore. Besides, I think it might be kind of like a story I read when I was a kid. It was called _Christmas Every Day_. In the story, a girl loves Christmas so much that she wishes that every day was Christmas, and her wish comes true, but then, by the end of the story, she ends up hating Christmas because she's so tired of celebrating it every day. I don't want us to hate coming to the beach, or to make it seem like taking a family vacation together is no big deal. This trip has been really special to me, and I'm gonna remember it for as long as I live. I don't want anything to ruin it. I wonder if we'd be disappointed if we tried to recreate it again."

"Perhaps, but I've been pleasantly surprised at how much I've enjoyed the quiet and solitude that living at the beach offers. We haven't been hounded by people who are constantly demanding our time or our expertise. We've been able to reduce our stress levels, and we've bonded as a family. I'd like to think that we wouldn't take those things for granted."

Booth gave her a cautious smile. "So I guess this means you want a beach house…"

"Not necessarily." Brennan grinned as she ran her hand down her husband's muscular arm. "However, while you were back in DC, the children and I took a tour of a condominium development in Bethany Beach, Delaware…"

"Hmmph." He laughed softly. "I wasn't even gone that long and you were out running around, trying to spend a lot of money. How did you get up there without the car?"

"The realtor who is representing the seller came and picked us up. Anyway, we looked at a three bedroom condominium, and it was very nice. There would be very little upkeep because it's in a building with a full time concierge and maintenance staff, and, if we wanted, the covenants of the building allow owners to lease their units to people who want to stay a week or two."

"I see." Booth grimaced as he lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. "I bet it was really expensive, too."

"It was expensive, but it was partially furnished, so that is something to take into consideration. Besides, your wife is a best selling author, remember? I've received a nice bonus that we can use as a down payment on a place at the beach." She bent over to give him a kiss. "What do you think? Can we go look at it tomorrow?"

"I guess so...but I'm not gonna promise anything, okay? It may be cheaper to buy a timeshare…"

"But with a timeshare, we wouldn't always get to choose when we wanted to visit, whereas if we owned the unit we could visit whenever we wanted."

"We can talk about it tomorrow, okay?" He reached up and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Right now, I think we need to get busy on round three. We're running out of vacation, and I want to spend some more quality time with you."

"Oh, okay. We'll talk about it tomorrow." She ran her fingers over his firm jaw. "I love you, Booth."

"I love you, too, Bones." He chuckled as he pulled her over closer to him. "Now, let's get down to business. I need to take some more vacation time."

"Booth?" She stroked his cheek before kissing him again.

"Hmm?" He arched an eyebrow at her suggestively. "What?"

"I want to spend a lot more vacation time with you. We need a beach house...or a beach condo..."

He groaned softly. "What happened to talking about that tomorrow?"

She pointed over his shoulder at the clock on the nightstand. "It's after midnight. It is tomorrow."

Knowing he'd been beaten, he nodded. "Oh, okay. We'll go buy one later today. Good enough?"

"Yes." She grinned broadly as she wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you…"

"Now can I use my vacation time the way I want?"

"Definitely."

"Good. C'mere..."


	12. Chapter 12

_**Several of my readers mentioned that Booth should apologize to Officer Dukes for his behavior in the last chapter. I hope this little epilogue will satisfy you.**_

* * *

"Here's your lunch." Brennan brought a plate laden with a sandwich and some chips and a glass of water out to her husband as he sat on the veranda's porch swing. "What are you working on? You've been quite involved in your project since we arrived home." She grinned as she sat in a chair opposite of him. "Are you still concerned about our ability to make payments on the condominium if we purchase it?"

"A little. I mean, even if we use that big check you got for your advance, those payments are still gonna be pretty hefty." He closed the laptop and put it on a nearby table. "But that wasn't what I was doing." He sighed slightly as he stared out over the horizon. "When I was on my way here yesterday there was a roadblock, and access to the town was limited because of all the storm damage." He swallowed slightly, grimacing before he continued. "I was really agitated with the Maryland State Police officer who told me I couldn't pass, and I basically threatened to have him fired if he didn't let me by."

"Booth! Why would you act in such an irrational manner? You're a law enforcement agent yourself! You know how difficult that job is...especially yesterday when the weather conditions were so poor…"

"Yeah, I know." Embarrassed at his admission, he shrugged slightly. "All I can say is that whenever I think you and the kids are in danger I don't handle it well, alright? I wasn't thinking straight. I was really worried about you, and I reacted badly, taking it out on Officer Dukes. I told him he was gonna end up working in the motor pool's garage putting air in tires of the patrol cars."

"Booth!" Brennan was obviously appalled. "I understand your concern for our safety, even though you should realize by now that I'm quite capable of taking care of myself and our children. However, to denigrate a man for simply doing his job...the job he was most likely ordered to do…"

"I know, I know!" Booth raised his hands in surrender. "I was wrong, so I'm trying to fix things, okay? I'm writing a letter to the State Police Commandant, recommending that Officer Dukes receive a citation for his outstanding service as he performed his duties yesterday. As a fellow law enforcement officer, I know when a guy's doing an exceptional job, you know? I mean, I raked that guy over the coals, yelling at him like a fool, and he never lost his cool. He was completely professional, even though I was being a goddamn jackass." Smiling at his wife, he picked up his sandwich. "I think that might be almost as good as an apology to the officer. it would be hard to find him, but I think if I go to the top, the kid will get the word from the brass. What do you think?"

"Perhaps, especially if you mention how much of a goddamn jackass you were being in your recommendation." Brennan chuckled at her husband's scowl. "Yes, that would be an appropriate conciliatory gesture. Is that what you were doing on the computer?"

"Yeah." He took a drink from his glass. "What are the kids up to?"

"They're watching _Finding Nemo._ Christine is quite fond of that movie, even though she was disappointed to learn that clownfish are not common in this area of the Atlantic Ocean." Brennan stole a few chips from Booth's plate. "Are you actually concerned about the cost of the condo?"

"Well...yeah, I guess so. I mean, 850,000 dollars is a lot for a vacation home…"

"True, although it is partially furnished…"

"With furniture from the Disco Era. I'm sure that'll have to be updated, unless you really like orange and brown floral velvet upholstery." Booth grinned at his wife. "And the view…you have to stand on the far end of the balcony to see the water."

"The view isn't as good as it could be. However, having only a partial view of the ocean would save us at least 100,000 dollars."

Chuckling to himself at his wife's effort to be frugal, Booth continued. "I'm also not sure you'd be happy with the kitchen in the long term. Those appliances look to be almost as old as I am."

"I agree...the kitchen might need some work. However, since we'll use it as a vacation home we won't have to replace them with the top of the line brands. Unless…"

"Unless what?" Booth was suddenly suspicious of the glint in his wife's eye. "How much is this idea gonna cost me?"

"I was merely thinking that we could refurbish the condominium with the idea that it would be our retirement home. After all, it is arranged all on one level, and it would be a fairly simple project to make the master bedroom and bathroom wheelchair accessible." She ran her fingers along the arm of her chair. "It's close to shopping, and with the concierge services, we'd be able to live there without much effort. And, as the realtor pointed out, if we did some repairs to the unit and then decided to sell it, we'd make a profit. It would be a good investment."

"If you could ever be convinced to part with it, that is." Booth smirked at his wife as she pouted a bit. "Look, I know you want the place, and seeing how you make a lot of money with your books, you ought to be able to spend that money however you'd like. So….I say we put in an offer, but let's offer lower than the asking price to start with, okay?"

"Are you sure, Booth?" Brennan smiled happily. "I know you still feel as if we should both contribute finances to our marriage equally, but having that unit would make me so happy…"

"Yeah, I'm sure. You remember what Pops used to say, right? Happy wife...happy life. If you're happy, so am I." He reached over to take her hand. "Call the realtor, okay? Tell her we want it before someone else buys it."

Brennan giggled as she picked up her phone. "Thank you, Booth."

"No problem, Bones. I'm glad you're happy." He sat back in his chair and took another sip from his glass. He knew she'd wanted that condo from the moment she'd seen it, and there was no way he'd be able to change her mind. All things considered, it really was a great place, and he'd had happy visions of enjoying his morning coffee on the condo's sheltered balcony when they'd gone to see it that morning.

Picking up the laptop he finished his letter to the State Police Commandant and hit send. Sighing with contentment, he watched his wife's glowing face as she discussed their offer with the realtor.

He turned his gaze back to the ocean. Considering where he'd been just a few months ago, it was truly miraculous that he was so truly happy now. He had a great job, good friends, and a wonderful family...and maybe now he'd have a nice beach condo as well.

As Brennan hung up the phone, she was practically bouncing with excitement. "Ms. Brill, the realtor, thinks that we can offer significantly less than the asking price since the unit has been for sale for several months. She'll write an offer for 725,000 dollars for us to sign and then present it to the seller. She hopes to get an answer for us by the end of the day."

"Good. I'm glad we can save some money on the deal…"

"So am I.", Brennan agreed. "We can use the money we save on the price to do the remodeling."

"Yeah." Booth rose from the porch swing and picked up his dishes. "I'm gonna go check on the kids. Coming?"

"Yes." Brennan sighed as she turned to enjoy the view from the porch. "I've really enjoyed our vacation, but I suppose it's inevitable that we return to our real lives, isn't it?"

"Yep. I'm going back to work next week." Booth walked over to stand next to his wife, putting his arm around her and drawing her close. "The good news is that we'll have so many good memories to take home with us. We've got lots of pictures and souvenirs, right?"

"True. It has been a wonderful month at the beach." She kissed Booth on the cheek. "And, when we have a vacation place, we'll have many more good memories to make, won't we?"

"Yes, we will, Bones." He smiled happily. "Yes, we will."

* * *

 ** _This really is the last chapter of my story. Thanks for reading. I hope you've enjoyed it._**


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